Jacob August began his dance career when he was three years old. Although he took more of an interest in the stage lights at the time, on some level, he knew Ukrainian dance was going to be a life passion. After completing all the company’s rigorous requirements over the past five years, he was accepted as a company dancer in…

Peter has been with the Shumka family for more than 20 years. He first started Ukrainian dance at the age of eight, when he entered the Shumka School of Dance and continued as a student for seven years. He is now a retired member of the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers. Peter has been an instructor with Shumka School since 2006, teaching…

Shane Gibson is a former member and past President of the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers, with whom he danced for more than 14 years. During his involvement with Shumka, he toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States and China as a cast member of Absolutely Shumka, Cobbler’s Princess and Cinderella. Shane has received training in Character Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Musical…

Natasha began her dance career at Shumka School of Dance, at the age of three. Natasha joined the School’s Intensive Division, taking on new dance styles, including Contemporary and Ballet. Natasha’s passion for dance continued to expand and gave her many opportunities to perform and learn new steps. Natasha continued to develop her skills and was introduced to pointe work,…

Nikolai began his dance career at the Shumka School of Dance when he was three years old. He decided to take the next step in his dance career by enrolling in the Intensive Division when it was first created in 2014. This marked the beginning of more rigorous Ukrainian, R.A.D. Ballet, and contemporary dance training. Along with this, Nikolai expanded…

Ukrainian Shumka Dancers, Creative Director ARAD Teaching Diploma AISTD Teaching Diploma, National Branch ISDSA, Examiner Silver Swans Licensee Tasha Orysiuk is a highly respected and accomplished dance educator, adjudicator and choreographer in Canada, having trained extensively in various disciplines under internationally renowned artists in Canada, the United States, England, and Ukraine during her dance career. Over the years, Tasha achieved…

Leda began her dance training at the age of four at Dance Unlimited. Three years later she joined the Shumka School of Dance including the Enrichment and Intensive Division programs. As part of her journey through the Shumka Syllabus, she also studied contemporary movement and R.A.D. ballet. She completed her R.A.D. Intermediate Foundation (with Distinction) and Intermediate Ballet exams under…