Dorianne Martyniuk grew up watching Shumka’s shows, so from the time she was little, it became something to aspire to. When she was 16, Dorianne auditioned and was accepted into the company. Over her 10 years, Dori learned a lot about dance, an organization, and family, which all came in handy in other parts of her life. She choreographed dances…

Eldyka Simpson auditioned for Shumka in 1991 when her best friend asked her to go. She was accepted and continued to dance for 12 years. Over the years, Eldyka was involved in various executive positions in Shumka and on the Foundation. During Shumka’s Cinderella, Eldyka had the lead role as the autumn bride and the stepmother. She was also involved…

“I joined Shumka for two reasons: the opportunity to contribute to the organization and art of dance, but also the opportunity to bring joy to audiences.” Kim danced in Shumka for 3 years, but most of her time was devoted to giving back to the community through dance. She taught Ukrainian dance until 2016. Kim has continued to support Shumka…

In Shumka, Tom Stefanyk was known as the quiet, shy one. He joined in the fall of 1967, just after Shumka’s renowned Expo performances. It was a time when there seemed to be a divide between the older and newer members of Shumka. He started hosting parties as a way to unite the group. “We would invite everyone over on…

Kim Bugera grew up Ukrainian dancing in rural Alberta and remembers watching live performances all over the province. She is now the parent to two dancers who have been involved with the Shumka School since they were three years old. On top of taking her kids to dance classes five days a week, she is also on the Fund Development…

Corinna Crockett Dooley wanted to be a Shumka dancer for as long as she could remember. She saw her first show at 5 years old and dancing with the company became a life-long goal. As longtime President of the Alumni Association, she has joined the ranks of almost 500 alumni, and this has given her a greater sense for how…

Andrea Chmilar (Stelmach) joined Shumka in 1999, a dream come true. Her instructor at the time, Shelley Borowski, inspired her to reach for the stage and aspire to be the energy and passion of the Hopak. For many years she was a member of the executive committee of the Alumni Association and has given the alumni a few opportunities to…

As President of the Shevchenko Foundation, a national, chartered philanthropic institution dedicated to the preservation, promotion and development of the Ukrainian Canadian cultural heritage, Andriy Hladyshevsky has seen first-hand the benefit that Shumka has brought to all of Canada. “It becomes really obvious when you receive hundreds of grant applications when an amazing one sticks out. That one is always…

Cecilia Laskoski is a member of Seniors Can Shumka, Silver Swans, a proud godmother of Zachary Wynnyk, (a Shumka dancer), and a donor to Shumka. She was a hospital pharmacist who worked for many years, terrified of retirement because it meant she wouldn’t be able to meet people anymore. Once she finally did retire, she wanted to get involved with…

In 1970, Dick Wong took on the role of developing multicultural programs for the Province of Alberta. He didn’t know anything about multiculturalism back then, but one of the first things he did was travel across the province with members of Shumka as part of the Folk Arts Council, and later to Japan. So began a lifelong relationship. He learned…