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Cirque du soleil and Shumka have given me an amazing repertoire. Shumka taught me you need to treat people with respect and who you work with is who your family is…I’m so grateful for that. (Jeff Mortensen, Finalist, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, 2010)
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About Us
Canada's Ukrainian Shumka Dancers
Shumka, as an organization, inspires young dancers and artists who have continued to culturally and artistically stand the test of time. They use dance and stage to bring meaning and beauty to the lives of those who are fortunate enough to experience their performances. They define what the arts are all about.
Shumka presents full-length, professional dance theatre touring productions, as well as intimate concert repertoire, across Canada and around the world. These productions marry the genre of Ukrainian dance with classical and contemporary movement to create dramatic storylines, which are recognized as distinctively Shumka-style.
In the words of the Edmonton Journal's veteran dance writer, Pamela Anthony, “Shumka has turned the idea of folk dance into a living, breathing art form and emerged as one of the most contemporary dance companies around."
Shumka creates a broad scope of original dance works and original music built upon the foundations of:
- the Canadian life experiences of Shumka’s artists;
- the creative inclusion of world dance forms as a part of Canadian cultural life;
- the rich Alberta heritage of Ukrainian folk and urban culture; and,
- the realization of the innovative dreams of its creative partnerships with other professional international artists.
Shumka is grateful for the annual operating grant support of the Edmonton Arts Council and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Shumka also acknowledges project grant support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Lotteries, and the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko.
On the occasion of their 50th anniversary in 2009, Shumka was designated a Resident Company of the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Shumka is an Edmonton-based, federally-registered charitable, non-profit society.