As Shumka’s Creative Directors, Tasha Orysiuk and Paul Olijnyk are so much more than repetiteurs. From choreographing and costuming, to arranging rehearsal schedules and even performing, they are involved in every single step of every production. In the past few years as Creative Directors, Tasha and Paul have continued to push Shumka to new limits.
“Creative Directors of Shumka are big shoes to fill, but thankfully there’s so many talented people to ask when we get stuck. There’s of course Senior Creative Director, Les Sereda – who heads the Creative Team – some alumni and past directors, each other, and also the dancers in the studio. It’s a team effort, and we couldn’t do it without them. It’s an honour.”
Tasha Orysiuk saw Shumka perform for the first time near her hometown in Saskatchewan, and joining the company eventually became one of her biggest goals. After completing a university degree, Tasha moved to Edmonton, auditioned, and was accepted into the company. Although she loved performing, Tasha quickly found her passion and talent for teaching Ukrainian dance. She’s taught from ages 3 all the way to 85. Among her many contributions to Shumka, Tasha called upon her RAD training to co-develop the Shumka School Syllabus with Doug Rachinski, which quickly became a standard in Ukrainian dance.
“We wanted to create something that was more standardized, that wouldn’t be outdated anytime quickly. One important goal was to train strong dancers with good technique, in a healthy way.”
For Tasha, Shumka is more than an organization. It’s a family, always there to support one another during tough times and celebrate each others’ successes. Her husband, Michael, also danced in Shumka. “It’s helpful to have someone who understands why I’m out so late, running rehearsal. He knows what’s going on, he’s been there. It means so much to have that support”
Paul Olijnyk grew up in Toronto, competing in the Ukrainian dance world before eventually moving to Edmonton, with the goal of joining Shumka. For Paul, teaching is more than a job, it’s his passion, his way of life. As both a Ukrainian dance and a school teacher, he has had two very successful careers in the teaching field. He shares his love for Ukrainian dance and culture with the dancers as a director, but also alongside them as a performer.
“It’s always humbling being on the other side as well. The talent comes to us, so the challenges are always how do we drive them forward, how do you tell a Ukrainian story in a unique manner, and how do you keep the dancers moving in new and challenging ways.”
For the past 11 years, Paul and his wife Kelsey have also owned a business in Lviv – Costumes by Paul – where Ukrainian dance costumes are sewn, then sent overseas. They work with instructors, parents, and costume teams throughout Canada, to design and facilitate their dream costumes.
Shumka thanks Tasha and Paul for their continued time and hard work dedicated to Ukrainian dance and to Shumka. We sincerely appreciate everything each of you have done for the company.
