Shumka Alumni
A Proud Past … A Brilliant Future!
Alumni Committee contact email: alumni@shumka.com
Committee Co-Chairs: Katrusia Pohoreski & Lukian Opyr
The Ukrainian Shumka Dancers Alumni Association (USDAA) was formed following the Dancers’ 25th Anniversary in 1984, to promote fellowship among former dancers and to support the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers. With a recent Shumka strategy to house all entities of the organization under one umbrella, the USDAA was reconfigured from its own society to an official committee of the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers Board of Directors. Working closely with the Board, the Alumni have a formal “seat at the table,” increasing their effectiveness to the organization and engagement with their constituents.
The Alumni have a proud past with a variety of highly successful projects over the decades.
In 1991, the Shumka Alumni Association was pleased to produce, publish and distribute the coffee table book Shumka: Tradition in Motion.
In a civic legacy project, the Alumni joined forces with the City of Edmonton to fund and build The Shumka Stage in Louise McKinney Park in Edmonton’s river valley, located immediately below the Shaw Conference Centre. In June 2007, Mayor Stephen Mandel officially declared the new multi-use stage open for performance and community use. On July 1, 2009, the Donor Wall displaying the many contributors to the project was unveiled.
The Ukrainian Shumka Dancers Alumni Association proudly planned Shumka’s 50th Anniversary Banquet celebrating a half-century of Shumka Dancers and their support organizations.
With Alumni membership now nearing 450, the Alumni continues to work diligently to support and to celebrate Shumka’s many accomplishments and to treasure the rich memories that its current 60 years holds.
The Shumka Stage
The Shumka Stage is an exciting addition to Edmonton’s spectacular river valley park system. The Ukrainian Shumka Dancers Alumni Association, in conjunction with the City of Edmonton Community Development department, created a legacy venue that recognizes the contribution Shumka has made to the city and the province since 1959. Located immediately below the Shaw Conference Centre, the Shumka Stage outdoor performance site is the feature component of the Louise McKinney Riverfront Park complex.
The Shumka Stage is an impressive performance venue, able to host a variety of community celebrations and international arts performances. This multi-purpose infrastructure can accommodate music, dance and choral performances, as well as other festivals and events. The structure itself is a weather-proof design of steel, concrete, brick and a curved glass roof over the performance area. The naming of the Shumka Stage is an acknowledgement of the years of contribution that the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers have made as ambassadors of Edmonton and Alberta in their performances around the world.
