Ukrainian Shumka Dancers, Creative Director
ARAD Teaching Diploma
AISTD Teaching Diploma, National Branch
ISDSA, Examiner
Silver Swans Licensee
Tasha Orysiuk is a highly respected and accomplished dance educator, adjudicator and choreographer in Canada, having trained extensively in various disciplines under internationally renowned artists in Canada, the United States, England, and Ukraine during her dance career. Over the years, Tasha achieved her Advanced Dance Certificates in tap, ballet, jazz, modern, and national dancing, in addition to holding numerous other teaching credentials, which make her a highly sought-after instructor, examiner and adjudicator. Tasha has also completed an intensive workshop in the Progressing ballet Technique.
Tasha is recognized for her work in the development and notation of the Shumka Dance Syllabus Academy’s syllabi and complementary Classical Ballet Instructors Manual. Tasha has also created her own Ukrainian dance syllabi for pre-beginners and beginners. Throughout her career, Tasha has adjudicated at numerous festivals and competitions across Western Canada, while also receiving several choreographic accolades for her work as an educator.
As a resident of Toronto, Tasha toured internationally with the Arkan Dance Company, before embarking on a period of study at the Institute of Ukrainian Folk Dance in Lviv, Ukraine. She moved to Edmonton, joining the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers in 1996, and had the opportunity to tour nationally with the company in the highly acclaimed productions of Absolutely Shumka and Cinderella, in which she earned artistic acknowledgements for the latter. Another highlight of her performance career included being one of 14 Shumka dancers selected to tour the Eastern United States as part of The Nutcracker – A Ballet Fantasy along with members of the Kyiv Ballet of Ukraine in 1997 and 1999.
Tasha joined the Shumka Artistic Team in 2015 as a Repetitor, working on projects including Clara’s Dream and Kobzar. Currently, Tasha is one of the Creative Directors of the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers in Edmonton. She has been a part of the choreographic team for Ancestors and Elders and Mosquito’s Wedding, two of Shumka’s newest productions.
In addition to her work with Shumka, Tasha teaches Ukrainian dancing at Shumka School of Dance, teaches ballet at the Ukrainian Dance Academy at St. Martin’s Catholic School and teaches Seniors Can Shumka and Silver Swans, two dance classes for learners over 55. She is also an examiner and an Instructor Workshop presenter for the Shumka Dance Syllabus Academy.
