She/Her Jaclyn has been dancing with the Athabasca Ukrainian Folk Dance Club for 14 seasons and is excited to be starting her first season with Studia after successfully auditioning in 2025. Alongside performing, she has been sharing her love of dance through teaching the younger dancers at the Athabasca Ukrainian Folk Dance Club for the past six years. Currently still…

She/Her Powered by pierogis, rhythm, and a touch of Polish tenacity, Olive can turn any floor into a dance floor. Olive began her dance career in a Polish performing group at the age of 3. She moved to Shumka School of Dance before she was 10 and fell in love with the intensity of the instruction and the level of…

She/Her Aara Matovu has been dancing for over 12 years with the Shumka School of Dance, where she developed a deep love for Ukrainian dance and performance. Alongside her Ukrainian dance training, she has also studied RAD ballet and contemporary, which have strengthened her technique and artistic expression. Growing up within the Shumka community inspired Aara to continue sharing her…

She/Her Megan began dancing at the age of 4 at the St. Paul Desna Ukrainian Dance Club where she danced for 14 years and assisted instructing for 2. Ukrainian dance and culture holds a special place in Megan’s heart and is very grateful to be a part of Studia Shumka where she can continue to share her love and passion…

She/Her Vanessa began her dance journey at the age of three and has since trained competitively in a wide range of styles, including ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, modern, and Ukrainian dance. She has successfully completed all her formal ballet examinations with the Royal Academy of Dance up to the Advanced 1 level and is currently studying the Advanced 2…

He/Him Chase Senko began his dance career at the age of three, at the Thorhild Ukrainian Dance Club, alongside his three siblings. To further his dance education, his family transitioned to theShumka School of Ukrainian Dance, where Chase trained in Ukrainian, RAD ballet, and contemporary styles. Through his years in SSD, he had the pleasure of taking part as a…

She/Her Maria started dancing at the age of five with Ardrossan Yatran, where she discovered a passion for Ukrainian dance. During her time at Ardrossan Yatran she volunteered as a junior instructor for seven years. While competing she won an Adjudicators choice award in 2021 at the Fort Saskatchewan Dance competition. She has danced with Studia Shumka for two years,…

She/Her Ainsley began her Ukrainian dance journey at the age of 4 with Dance Unlimited. Under the direction of Shumka alumnus Doug Rachinski, she developed a strong foundation and a passion for the art form. She later transitioned to Shumka School of Dance where she continued to improve her technique and stage presence. In 2019, Ainsley had the opportunity to…