She/Her Katie began her Ukrainian dance journey at the age of 3 with the Shumka School of Dance, where she trained for 13 years. During that time, she had the…

She/Her Annikka Dobko received her dance education from various institutions including the School of Alberta Ballet and Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington DC. Additionally, she studied at summer intensive…

He/Him Joseph Ewaskiw began dancing at four years of age with Dance Unlimited’s Ukrainian program.  In 2018 he joined Shumka School of Dance where he was taught by company members who…

Zoriana Ferdycz began dancing at the age of three with the Shumka School of Dance, where she quickly discovered her passion for the art form and performing. Over the next…

He/him Taras Geleta started Ukrainian dance at age 4 in the Athabasca Ukrainian Folk Dance Club. He first discovered his passion for Ukrainian dance around age 13 and since then…

She/Her Born in Ukraine, Viktoriya Glozhyk cherishes her heritage by speaking Ukrainian, being a member of Plast (Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada), and of course, Ukrainian dancing. Viktoriya has been…

She/Her Ashlyn Grummett has been dancing since the age of three. Starting with ballet, jazz and tap, she quickly grew a liking for Ukrainian dance as well. Through the years…

He/Him Nick Hynek, originally from Lloydminster, AB, has been immersed in Ukrainian dance for over 23 years. His journey with Shumka began in 2022, fulfilling a dream sparked at age…

Nicholas Jerebic has been dancing since the age of three doing ballet then made the move towards Ukrainian dance to follow in his roots. At the age of 4 Nicholas…

She/Her Emily began Ukrainian dancing at the age of 3 in her hometown of St. Paul, Alberta. Growing up, each of her instructors were Shumka alum, and their passion and…

He/Him Marko Lepki has been training and performing Ukrainian dance since the age of three. Growing up with Verkhovyna School of Ukrainian Dance, he was inspired by Shumkas rendition of…

She/Her Dance has been a part of Calynn’s life for as long as she can remember. Calynn started dancing as soon as she could walk, and by age 2, she…

He/Him Maxim started dancing when he was four years old with the Shumka School of Dance. He might not have always wanted to go but once he was there, he…

He/Him Allister started his dance career with Shumka in 2024. He began his dance training in Saskatoon with Rushnychok and Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble, where he danced through high school, graduating…

She/Her Taryna Marko began dancing at the age of four, training in ballet, tap, and Ukrainian dance. For twelve years, she learned Ukrainian dance under her father’s instruction, who instilled…

She/Her Arlyssa McArthur began her dance journey at a young age, training and competing in a wide range of genres including ballet—studying in the ISTD, Vaganova, and RAD methods—as well…

She/Her Since the age of four, Abigail’s love for Ukrainian dancing has been a vibrant part of her life. Dancing with the Avrora Ukrainian Dancers in Fort McMurray followed by…

He/Him Joshua Pacholok began dancing at the age of five in the Shumka School of Dance. In 2016, after a two-year break from dance, Josh returned to the studio, both…

He/Him Nicolas Pacholok began his dance education at the Shumka School of Dance and upon graduation he was offered an apprenticeship with the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers. Since then, Nicolas’ dance…

She/Her Mara Palahniuk began her dance training at the age of three, specializing in ballet and Ukrainian dance. Her passion for dance has led her to study and perform internationally,…

She/Her Brooklyn Pattullo started Ukrainian dancing when she was just 3 years old, and with that came a deep love for dance. At 8, she began competitive dancing in ballet,…

She/Her Ukrainian dance has been a part of Malia’s life for as long as she can remember. She began dancing at the age of 3, and later started ballet training…

She/Her Daria Podilsky began her journey in dance at the age of four, taking classes at the Verkhovyna School of Ukrainian Dance. As her love for the art form grew,…

He/Him Mark Rachmistruk began his dance journey at the age of five at Dance Unlimited. He then joined the Shumka School of Dance, where he developed his passion for Ukrainian…

She/Her Mikalina Rylance has been performing for as long as she can remember—she took her first dance class at age two and hasn’t looked back since. Over the years, she’s…

He/Him Mechanical engineer by training and artist at heart, Adam brings both precision and passion to the stage. The middle of three brothers, Adam’s deep-rooted family values have shaped his…

She/Her Breanna Senko began her dance journey at the age of three, training in jazz, ballet, contemporary, and Ukrainian dance at local studios in Westlock and Thorhild. Over time, her…

He/Him Cowan began dancing at the age of three with the Thorhild Ukrainian Dance Society. He later joined the Shumka School of Dance alongside his siblings, where he took classes…

He/Him — Joe started dancing with the Thorhild Ukrainian Dancing Club at the age of 5, and then continued to dance with Shumka School of Dance when he turned 10.…

She/Her Alyssa Shukalek was first introduced to Shumka during her many years as a student in the Shumka School of Dance. She grew up watching various Shumka productions which inspired…

She/Her Julianna Shukalek’s dance journey began at the age of 5 with the Shumka School of Dance. Growing up and watching her instructors perform with Shumka, she was inspired to hopefully…

She/Her Danica Skitsko began dancing at the age of 3 and instantly fell in love with the joy that comes from it. She has trained in various styles during her…

Rachel has been dancing in Shumka since the spring of 2022. Throughout her time in the company, she has danced across Canada on tours such as Shumka On Tour, Mosquito’s…

He/Him Alex started Ukrainian dancing through Ardrossan Yatran when he was four years old. After dancing with the school for nearly ten years he branched out to join the Viter…

He/Him Murray Steele has been in Shumka for over 14 years, but has been involved in the Alberta Ukrainian dance community his whole life. Murray began Ukrainian dancing over 31…

He/Him Samuel Stychyshyn began his dance career when he was 6 years of age in Dance Unlimited’s Ukrainian program. He danced there for many years until he decided to make…

She/Her Since she was a young girl watching from the audience, Leda Tarnawsky has aspired to be a Shumka Dancer. She began her dance training at the age of four…

She/Her Ava joined Shumka School of Dance at the age of three, where she then progressed through the school and grew her love for Ukrainian dance. Throughout her time in…

She/Her Summer 2020 marks Ashlyn Waller’s one year anniversary of dancing with Shumka, where she first got involved after hearing of the company through our involved alumni. She is extremely…

She/Her Kieran Waller began her dance training at the age of three and entered the competitive dance world by six, studying ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, and acro. Over the…

She/Her Vanessa has been dancing with the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers since 2018. Her connection to the company began much earlier—growing up in the Shumka School of Dance, she was inspired…

He/Him Zachary Wynnyk has been dancing with Shumka since 2015. He started training in the Shumka School when he was six years old and it was always his goal to…

He/Him Nathan began his Ukrainian dance career at 5 years of age at Dance Unlimited. Under the direction of Shumka alumni, Doug Rachinski, he continued to develop his skills for…

He/Him Michael Zukiwsky’s dance career began at the age of four in the basement of St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Orthodox church. Wanting to improve even further, he soon began dancing at…