Corinna Crockett Dooley wanted to be a Shumka dancer for as long as she could remember. She saw her first show at 5 years old and dancing with the company became a life-long goal. As longtime President of the Alumni Association, she has joined the ranks of almost 500 alumni, and this has given her a greater sense for how the organization runs, as well as a means to engage people in ways that are meaningful and accessible.

“There are many people who have earned the right to call themselves Ukrainian Shumka Dancers but with that right comes great responsibility. There is a responsibility for dancers to uphold the art form, the Ukrainian culture, to the alumni, to the ancestors and to the legacy we leave behind. And to one another and to the organization to give back in a way that is meaningful to each one of us.”

“The magic of Shumka is difficult to articulate, but it was there when I was 5 years old and watched Shumka on the stage for the first time. It was there in Madison Square Garden when I was on the stage with Andrea Bocceli. But it is also here in the studio when I see our children when they participate in their very first Shumka Dance Camp.”

Thank you for sharing the magic with us, Corinna.