There are many people who have given so much back to Shumka and for so many reasons. For Evan Zukiwsky, the people that made up the company was his motivating factor. “I always wanted to be part of the organizational and leadership roles in the company because of the people who influenced me. I learned from those people who were…

“I always loved how Shumka took the base of Ukrainian dance and infused other genres to create these other incredible, magical storylines and themes. I think it’s important to find your cultural importance in contemporary society. Shumka does this very well.” Dave Ganert has been a very strong artistic influence in Shumka over many years. He joined the company in…

Victor Lirette has been involved in Shumka since his oldest daughter joined the dance company. “All three of my daughters were Ukrainian dancers, and even though they went through other dance groups, Shumka was always the end goal. I helped out with a few things, but I was asked if I would sit on Shumka’s Board. I started out on…

During his time in Shumka, George Chrunik wore many hats. He was a dancer, artistic committee member, and choreographer, just to name a few. He was also known as one of the jokesters of the company. “Touring was a very special time because we got to spend time together. And preparing for tours was something special too. Touring wasn’t always…

June Eeles and her family have been involved in Shumka and the Shumka School for over 20 years. Even from day one, June knew she wanted to be part of the company. She started working for Shumka as a way to pay for her boys’ dance classes. Twenty years later, all three boys have been in the company, and June…

“Shumka was the highest calibre of Ukrainian dance and I wanted to be a part of that. Some of my favourite memories were from the 2004 China tour and the 2007 China/Ukraine tour. I got to share parts of those tours with my parents, so that was really special. Preparing for shows is a lot of hard work, but it’s…

Annette Bidniak auditioned for Shumka after two of her instructors, also Shumka dancers, encouraged her to do so. “I’ll never forget my first rehearsal. I walked in and immediately the older girls surrounded me and welcomed me. They felt like my older sisters. From that day forward, I was in the group. Every year that went by, I realized that…

“I had just started with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and was covering arts and entertainment for both radio and television. I recognized that Shumka was an organization that was different. They had artistic roots and roots in the community and they were able to bridge those together. They took it very seriously, but had great fun! Before I was done…

Jerry and Loverne Wowk joined Shumka shortly after moving from Saskatoon. They danced and choreographed together for many years. “We brought our backgrounds as not only dance teachers, but school teachers. We had some knowledge about organization and structure, plus experience with choreography, so we put that knowledge into Shumka. I had the ideas and Jerry did all the technical…

“I started contributing monthly to Shumka when I was a dancer… I was able to have these incredible performances and tours and such a high calibre of teaching, and I felt that if everyone gave just a little bit, it would add up to something substantial, and be really good for Shumka. To put on these incredible of shows, you…