Nick grew up dancing with Veselka Ukrainian Dancers in Victoria, British Columbia before moving to Edmonton to continue his dance career with Viter Ukrainian Dancers and Folk Choir. In 2017 he joined the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers where he has enjoyed presenting works such as Mosquito’s Wedding, Ancestors and Elders, and Shumka’s Nutcracker.

Outside of the dance studio Nick currently Co-Chairs Shumka’s Fund Development Committee with Terry Mucha and he has had the pleasure of serving on Shumka’s Board of Directors since April 2022. With a passion for long-term financial sustainability, Nick helped shape Shumka’s partnership with the Edmonton Community Foundation in establishing the Whirlwind EndowmentFunds. Supported by generous donors and a matching grant from the Department of Canadian Heritage, these funds represent a financial investment in future generations of dancers and Shumka productions.

When he’s not wearing ballet slippers or red boots you can catch Nick enjoying riding his bicycle in the summer and escaping the city for the mountains in the winter.

Ashlyn Grummett has been a dancing member of Shumka since July 2020. She has been Ukrainian dancing for 20 years alongside her competitive dance background. She is now 25 years old and has trained and performed with a variety of dance schools and companies including Dance Unlimited, Viter Ukrainian Dancers, Pyretic Productions and Shumka. She was also involved in Shumka’s first Emerging Artists production as a choreographer, instructor and dancer.

From an administrative perspective, Ashlyn held the position of Performance Coordinator on the Viter Board for three years and served on Shumka’s Standards Committee for two years. She has pursued a career in education which requires strong communication and organization skills. Ashlyn is currently an elementary French Immersion Teacher in Elk Island Public Schools.

Ashlyn is a second generation Shumka dancer and notes, “This company has a very big place in my heart and role in my life. I look forward to giving back to Shumka as a board member.”

Tesia Doblanko (she/her) has been a performing member with the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers since 2016. Within the company, Tesia has been involved in a number of productions, with Kobzar and Shumka’s Nutcracker holding a special place in her heart. Alongside her time performing with Shumka, Tesia earned a Bahelor of Science degree, with a major in chemistry and minor in business from the University of Alberta. She also obtained a Juris Doctor from the same institution. Currently, she works with a regional law firm in Edmonton. Excited by the prospect of contributing to the continued success of Shumka, Tesia looks forward to leveraging her skills and experiences while serving on the Board of Directors. Shumka has a lengthy history of success, and a vibrant future in the years to come.

Stephanie Bahniuk (she/her) is a Ukrainian-Canadian, award winning theatre designer originally from Edmonton and now residing in Brooklyn, New York. She is a graduate of the Masters of Fine Arts in Design program at the Yale School of Drama and a recipient of the Jay Keene and Jean Griffin Keene Prize in Costume Design. Stephanie was a dancer with Shumka for 7 years which included tours to both China and across Canada. Recent and upcoming design credits include work with Pyretic Productions, The Belfry Theatre, NYU Tisch, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Freewill Shakespeare Festival, Goodspeed Musicals, Yale Dramat and Tiny Bear Jaws. In addition to her theatre work, Stephanie has contributed to Broadway and Off-Broadway productions as a costume shopper, and has lent her expertise to major TV productions like The Gilded Age and And Just Like That. She is a proud member of USA Local 829 and serves as an Artistic Associate of Pyretic Productions. www.stephaniebahniuk.com

Kim Hyshka (she/her) is a believer that just about anything is possible with a little dialogue. She’s on a mission, to chart a different course for public conversations, better conversations that open possibility, cultivate collaboration and spark change through dialogue.  As the owner of Dialogue Partners, Kim has been a leader in the field of stakeholder and community engagement for over 15 years. If there is a tough topic, she’s likely talked about it, having facilitated conversations on land use, energy, healthcare, government strategy, large-scale budgets, and private sector mergers.

Alongside her professional role – she had a long proud history with the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers. Here’s what she had to say, “For many years my life and the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers were deeply interwoven.. Finding a passion for dance at 14, I joined the ranks of the Viter Ukrainian Dancers and shortly after, set my sights on Shumka. From 1999-2016 Ukrainian dance was my everyday. From performing as a dancer, instructing at SSD, leading summer camps, serving on the Board, volunteering for curriculum development – Shumka filled my heart and my calendar. Looking back, I appreciate the many performing opportunities, but even more so, I’m also grateful for the Shumka community I formed.  Lucky me – I even found the man I’d build my life with. The last number of years, I’ve needed to step away, nurture my family, build a business and figure out how I wanted to contribute. AND so, I’m back and delighted to be serving on the 2024-2025 USD Board of Directors.”

Joshua has been a member of the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers since December 2019. His dance journey began at the age of 6, when he was enrolled by his parents in the Shumka School of Dance. He danced for 5 years until taking a short break to pursue other interests in his early adolescence. At age 13, after watching his brother and cousins perform with the company, Joshua’s passion for dance was reawakened. Currently approaching five years as a company member, his relationship with Shumka has continued to mature, evolve, and grow.

Joshua has been privileged to be able to contribute to the Shumka organization in other ways as both a five-time Camp Coordinator for the summer camp program, a member for the Shumka Artistic Commiee, and as an instructor in the Shumka School of Dance. He considers these roles to have not only deepened his love of Shumka, but also his desire to contribute outside of the studio.

Aside from his involvement with Shumka, Joshua is a lead instructor at Parkland Ukrainian Dance Society. Additionally, Joshua is a fourth-year student at the University of Alberta in the faculty of Engineering. Select academic achievements include being a two-time recipient of the Louise Mckinney Scholarship, and most recently being the recipient of the Newbert Construction and Engineering Ltd. Award.

Joshua cares deeply for the Shumka organization, and feels that he has gained a lot of insight into the inner workings of the organization.

My name is Kelly Shapka, I am 55 years old. I have spent my entire career in the bookkeeping industry.

I started my home based business, Easy Accounting Services, in 1994 on a part time basis and took it full time in 2016 after the company I had worked at for 23 years shut down.

I lost my Husband in 2020 so it has been just me and my two dogs working from home. In 2023 I decided it was time to venture out of my home a little bit more so I went to work, part time, at Westjet as a Customer Service Agent. I really enjoy the relationships with my colleagues and the interactions with our guests.

In my spare time, I love to play darts and have successfully made the Alberta Provincial team 3 times which allowed me to travel to other provinces and compete on a national level. I cofounded the Edmonton Mixed Singles Dart League in 2013 and our league is currently playing out of the Norwood Legion.

Next to my dogs, my family and friends are the most important part of my life and I love spending time with all of them.

When he is not performing with Shumka, Michael works as a Registered Nurse at the University of Alberta Hospital on a neurosurgery unit. Providing essential care for others has developed Michael’s interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and organization, all motivated by a desire to assist others. He hopes to utilize these talents along with his love for the arts to serve Shumka and the Ukrainian community at large, working towards continued success and new horizons.