Inspired by watching her sister perform on stage with Shumka, Lydia Talpash-Wacko knew she had to be up there with her one day. Lydia joined the company in the 90s, and toured on the 1995 production of Absolutely Shumka across Canada. One of her most favourite memories from that tour was performing with live music from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, with Gene Zwozdesky as conductor.
“Through Hopak, he kept speeding the music up and when we looked at him with our eyes wide, cause we couldn’t go any faster, he’d just have his boyish grin on, and enjoyed watching us run. The magic of that performance, of the hometown shows, will always stick with me.”
Lydia’s children, Oriana and Alexander grew up with Shumka as a household name. When her kids were sick and stayed home from school, they’d watch Shumka’s Katrusia or Night of Perun. Both Oriana and Alexander currently dance in Shumka School, where they share their love of performing with teachers and friends, and have the opportunity to perform on the Jubilee Auditorium stage. Oriana and Lydia even got to share the stage together during a Hopak, which is a memory they both cherish. Recently, Oriana completed Shumka Camps as a Leader-in-Training—something she looks forward to every year.
“Things were a little different this year. With the COVID-19 precautions, we had to be more creative to connect with the kids, but we all still had such an amazing time.”
After some time away from the company, Lydia was asked to be part of Shumka’s Board of Directors, and is currently serving her second term. As head of the governance committee, she continues to find ways to make Shumka a more sustainable organization in the future. As another way to contribute to the organization, Lydia is a monthly giver.
“There’s a lot of places we could be putting our money, but for me, it’s important that the Shumka legacy continues on, that the performances and organization is sustained. It keeps our spark going.”
Thank you, Lydia and Oriana, for continuing to support Shumka over the years and during this time.
