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, she began competitively training in ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern, and contemporary at various schools across Edmonton up until joining Shumka in 2017.

Beyond the studio, Daria is heavily involved with the Ukrainian Youth Association CYM, and is passionate about sharing the customs, history, and language of her grandparents with the next generation of Ukrainian Canadians. Her hope to join a company that blended her passion for Ukrainian culture with ballet and contemporary styles is what led her to audition for Shumka. Highlights of her career as a Shumka dancer have been performing alongside Virsky dancers in Shumka’s Nutcracker, premiering Shumka’s UKRAINKA, and touring the Eastern United States with the National Ballet of Ukraine in 2024.

Daria recently completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Alberta and is looking to pursue a career in health sciences in the future.