Dance as a collaborative art involves the painstaking grind of ongoing dedication, training, precision, interpretation, reinterpretation, balanced critique, gentle and earnest discourse, growth, discovery and eventually: BEAUTY. As artists, we know that this culmination point is not necessarily what we expect it to be at the outset, but those who have walked the road enough times know that it can…
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Wally Tarnawsky was a dancing member for 5 years but has contributed for over 30. During his dancing time, he volunteered on many committees and was a 3-term board member on the dancer-led Executive. Once retired Wally served on the Alumni Association including a term as its President and volunteered as Merchandise Assistant during the Absolutely Shumka and Cinderella Canadian…
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Our final award recipient this evening is ‘that person’ who smiles broadly after he says the word “Shumka.” A Shumka dancer for 15 years, Evan Zukiwsky stood out on stage for his golden sharavary and his robust depictions of characters such as the young prodigy in Travelling Chumaky, a lead dancer in Night of Perun, and the love interest of Katrusia,…
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From humble beginnings in small-town Alberta to big international stages; from the local fabric stores choosing just the right materials to numerous prototypes designed and redesigned in her kitchen until they were perfect; from sewing thousands upon thousands of pieces to standardizing individual Poltava and Hutzul costumes; from cleaning and maintaining the costumes to creating an inventory and labelling process…
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June Eeles is one of the most genuine people we know. Her contributions to Shumka began at the level of Shumka School, as the mother of 3 young boys who would all in time become members of the parent company. It has been said that a business isn’t run by the boss, but rather by the talent sitting at the…
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An impeccable eye for detail. High expectations of herself, her team and the dancers themselves. Extreme pride in how the company looked in every single performance whether at Barb & Ernie’s Restaurant, the Kiev Opera House or at the Jubilee Auditorium. All of these were qualities that Joyce Howell brought to her role as Head of Wardrobe for Shumka, Shumka…
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They/Them Lauren Dzenick started dancing at three years old at Dance Unlimited, where they trained in many different styles. They danced competitively for 15 years, and spent the summer of 2019 training with the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City and Las Vegas. They were trained by industry professionals in ballet, musical theatre, jazz, and contemporary. When they were…
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He/Him The beginning of Michael Zukiwsky’s dance career began at the age of four in the basement of the St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Orthodox church. Wanting to progress even further in Ukrainian dance, he began dancing at the Shumka School of Dance by the time he was in second grade. It was there that Michael realized how important being involved in…
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Over their many years of dedication to the Shumka legacy, the Mucha family has contributed to many large-scale projects. One such project that Marilyn is particularly proud of is the Shumka Stage in Louise McKinney Park, a project which she together with her family was pivotal in fundraising and organizing. But Marilyn’s time with Shumka actually began in 1971. “Back…
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Orest Yusypchuk performed in a concert with Ukrainian dance master Vasyl Avramenko, and shortly after, became one of Shumka’s first members. He loved dancing in Shumka, but eventually had to hang up his boots due to an injury. At the beginning, Orest remembers having to ask Chester Kuc’s dad for (only) $300 to cover the cost of a performance at…
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