For Immediate Release Edmonton - May 15, 2024 Join Edmonton’s
UFest Edmonton Ukrainian Festival is a celebration of Ukrainian culture, food, music, visual arts, crafts and dance. This two-day event brings together people of Ukrainian heritage, as well as attracts audiences of many diverse cultures.
Долучайтеся до нас, щоб разом вшанувати українську культуру на найбільшому багатоденному українському фестивалі у Західній Канаді!
We are thrilled to extend a warm welcome to French-Canadian as the 2024 guest culture of the UFest Ukrainian Festival, and we look forward to celebrating the rich traditions and cultural heritage of both our cultures.
We need your help to make UFest 2024 a success!
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UFest brings together the best of Ukrainian Dance and Music from across Canada.
Edmonton, Alberta
Cheremosh is a leader in Ukrainian Dance in Canada and we have had phenomenal success as a semi-professional Ukrainian dance company the world over. Our dancing is rich in intensity, energy, and spirit, and we have a reputation for bringing amazing choreography to the stage. We take audiences on a colorful and exhilarating journey, thrilling them with intricate choreography, spectacular costumes and dynamic music. Men leap to amazing heights with their breathtaking acrobatics while women spin across the stage with incredible beauty and grace. Our 50-member dance company is without a doubt a sight to behold.
Under the artistic direction of ballet master, Mykola Kanevets our dancers train in demi classical ballet, character and Ukrainian dance technique. This allows us to bring the polish of classical ballet while keeping the boisterousness and vivacity of folk dance that audiences crave.
Cheremosh is extremely versatile and we tailor our show packages to your stage, audience, theatre season, and budget. We do shows from 15 minutes to entire two-hour programs. Part of our mandate as a dance company is to give back to the communities we dance in and we have both school show and dance workshop packages available.
Current company dancers will say that some of their favourite moments while on tour happen during our community outreach workshops. Teaching sections of company choreography to aspiring (or totally new) dancers and then having them approach us after the show with a sparkle in their eye saying ‘I know how do that combination you did in the second dance!’ is a feeling second to none. Witnessing how making the arts accessible can change a child’s life is exactly what Cheremosh is trying to accomplish.
When Cheremosh comes to your community, we leave an impact like no other, and your patrons will always want more.
Edmonton, Alberta
Established in Edmonton in 1959, the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers present dance-theatre touring productions across Canada and around the world. Seen by millions on international broadcasts, the company has presented command performances for Queens and Presidents and have performed alongside the likes of Andrea Bocelli and Julie Andrews. While maintaining deep respect for their heritage, Shumka continually challenges conventional boundaries to define the experience of Ukrainian dance in the context of today’s society. Shumka has an extensive repertoire of original works including Shumka’s Nutcracker, Kobzar, Ancestors & Elders, Mosquito’s Wedding, Echoes of Hopak, and its work in progress based on the imagination of Lesia Ukrainka.
In 2022, Shumka was awarded the Shevchenko Medal by the National Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the highest such award of merit in Canada recognizing outstanding national contributions in culture and the arts. In the same year, Shumka also received the Hnatyshyn Foundation’s Ukraine – Heritage, Spirit and Future Award, recognizing and celebrating exceptional talent in performing artists of Ukrainian heritage in Canada. Last year also saw Shumka celebrate its 60th anniversary with Shumka on Tour including 12 performances in six cities across Canada.
In recent years, Shumka has also produced numerous award-winning dance films including Ancestors & Elders, Dancing on Eggshells, and Promised Land. It is currently in post-production with a 3-D version of the whimsical Mosquito’s Wedding which premiered in 2023. Part of Shumka’s mandate is the creation of a centre of excellence in dance education to prepare the next generation of dancers in the art form.
The Shumka School of Dance trains over 200 young dancers using North America’s only syllabus for Ukrainian dance, in addition to contemporary movement and RAD ballet instruction. Studia Shumka – a junior performing ensemble and training program between the School and the professional Shumka company - was established in the Fall of 2018. Shumka also offers Ukrainian-dance and RAD-based fitness classes for seniors and adults including its popular Seniors Can Shumka and Silver Swans programs. Shumka is based in the Shumka Dance Centre in downtown Edmonton. For more information, visit shumka.com
Edmonton, Alberta
Volya, meaning ‘freedom’ encompasses the unified spirit of its current ensemble members. With many of Volya’s original members having studied in Ukraine, a desire existed to develop a similar academic style of dance within Canada. A strict adherence to technical training and professionalism is a philosophical belief still maintained today under the Artistic Direction of Zhenia Bahri, a former professional dancer and director from Ukraine. Zhenia has been the Artistic Director since 2000 and has brought unsurpassed passion, knowledge, and expertise to the Ensemble in his lifelong dedication to the art of Ukrainian dance.
Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble is an Edmonton based dance company dedicated to contributing to the social and cultural growth of Ukrainian Heritage in Edmonton. For over 30 years, Volya has enthralled local audiences and performs on a national and international platform. Volya combines the highest standards of technical excellence with intricate footwork and the authentic artistry that are the hallmarks of Ukrainian Dance.
Since its’ inception in 1989, Volya has flourished into a vibrant ensemble consisting of dedicated members who have captivated and delighted audiences with their dynamic performances around the world. Volya has entertained audiences at festivals in Germany, Holland, Brazil, Italy, USA (California, New York), Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Turkey, France, England, the Azores Islands, Greece, Colombia and across Canada.
Volya! actively participates in the community through donated performances at various events, including the For Kids by Kids benefit for the Stollery Children’s Hospital and workshops with local schools. Additionally, Volya has headlined several festivals across Canada over the years. These include: The Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival, Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival, Vegreville Pysanka Festival and Edmonton’s own Ukrainian Festival, UFest.
Over the years many dancers have entered Volya's studios with the same goal in mind, to dance for the love of dance and to establish an identity for the ensemble that is uniquely Volya!
UFest would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and funders.
Address: 7507 Borden Park Rd NW
Friday, May 24 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm / П’ятниця, 24 травня 17:00 – 23:00
Saturday, May 25 11:00 am – 11:00 pm / Субота, 25 травня 11:00 – 23:00
For Immediate Release Edmonton - May 15, 2024 Join Edmonton’s
Media Advisory On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, representatives of UFest,
UFest is growing and we need YOU to help us make