March 19 and 20th at the
Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Edmonton, AB

www.youtube.com . . .

PROMO POSTER!

Apparently you must be part of the Shumka dancers , so whats new with this show?your vidio shows the performances past, if it is anything like the best of shumka2 i wont waste my money, spent money to see ukrainian dancing, got a partial cinderella typical boots routine thats how old now? a modern piece of junk caberet that totally lost the audence and a 20 year or more old hopak what is this show going to bring out to make me want to even think about spending $75 dollars for good seats not that I would but what is this show going to do or is it another recap of old material thats gone stale or new material that the ukrainian community goes home saying what the f#$#@ was that because that was my reaction to your last show.

I'M GOING TO SEE THAT!!!! I love Shumka, I know like half of the Shumka dancers and some of them are or have been my dance teachers!!

The video is to promote the show and reminisce on Shumka's history in the past 50 years as well as show some of our present work. Both will be part of this show- reflections on where Shumka started and developed to our present and future. It will be a mix of both traditional dance as well as the modern aspects taht define Shumka. The concert will showcase the impact Shumka has made in the dance world and show tribute to past performances and members. It will also showcase some of our new work. ukie 14 I understand your opinion and respect it but i would never publicly bash any other dance company because each brings something special to our Ukrainian culture. I understand some people are extremely traditional and disagree with certain aspects of Shumka's repetoire but in all Shumka has had many achievments in promoting the Ukrainian culture and dance as well as bringing fresh ideas and pieces to the dance world. That way have been your reaction to our last show, but I have heard very different including much praise. You can not generalize the Ukrainian community because you are just one person out of it. I do believe we bring a uniquness to Ukrainian dance, preventing it from getting stale unlike other companies who display the same traditional village dance over and over again. We bring Ukrainian dance into the 21st century and keep it from getting outdated.

I dont disrespect what Shumka has done in the past, I just see their future as a Modern dance company , And i can generalize just as other people generalize Shumka As Ukrainian dance, I get that all the time saying I'm a ukrainian dancer --OH then your shumka, i then tell people that Shumka is one group amongst 100s in Alberta and thousands Around the world.I have gone to other Ukrainian group concerts just as large as Shumkas and yes they are more traditional but the technique and originality of those traditional styled groups is exactly the roots that Shumka was built upon. I didnt see those roots in your Kiev Caberet theme which is a modern dance, ballet,ballroom and who knows what else thrown together the one that totally got me, my wife, her mother , my brother and some others saying what the F#$#@ was that was the kozak dead girl vidio piece please explain that work to me if you can.In any case i think shumka has gone to far from its Traditional roots. Are dance schools with Shumka instuctors teaching traditional steps or modern ones? Or are those instuctors and student learning Avremenkos basics,and traditional dances with new techniques and music? If this modern interpretation is the new wave of Ukrainian style and direction then why arent your instuctors teaching those steps to their students?

I have not seen Shumka recently, but I am familiar with the problem of choreography drift. I hope that Shumka has not stayed too far from its roots. Two of my cousins danced with Shumka 20 years ago when it was a Ukrainian dance group.

I think adding a ballet and modern aspect to the Ukrainian roots has great effects. Just as a balelt company also perfroms modern and jazz. its great to highlight dancers that can do more then just one style and it adds diversity to a company. I think people generalize about Shumka because its the most recognized Ukrainian dance company in Canada, being the only professional. Just as the music in Ukraine is no longer traditional songs but has turned to dance and house and techno and rap and pop. Shumka takes the traditional dance to a new era so its more accessible to audiences (especailly with the such popularity of dance in the last years due to So You Think You Can Dance and such) and gives it more of an advantage next to say The National Ballet of Canada. Cabaret was not to showcase the traditional roots as much but to show the modern Ukrainian world today through modern music. It was meant to have a ZABAVA type atmosphere, a party type theme. Traditional ukrainian steps were then added in such as in a kolomeyka, where anything goes. The piece with the dead girl was actually Jimi Hendrix's Hey Joe in Ukrainian. The dance was meant to tell the story of the song. Shumka has its own syllabus for the students that includes character barre and traditional combinations with ballet influences. The students are also encouraged to take an additional ballet class.

whoa if that was a party atmosphere than you should have given the audence some horilka to understand it or pass out. if this is what shumkas selling I'm not buying. and if this is shumkas future than they need to change their name to the Shumka modern new wave and untraditional Ukrainian dance interpretation Ensemble then your previous style that put you on the map wouldnt be mis understood or mis interpreted or expected by a traditional ukrainian dance audence.

Is a video of a recent Shumka show posted?

the last vidio I have seen is of their cinderella production nothing much on youtube dancingforaliving I hope you enjoy your audence sitting on their hands for that portion of your show,and come to life during a traditional hopak. You have a long way to got to compare yourselves in the same respect as the national ballet of canada. you have some talented Ukrainian dancers that for the most part have grown up learning traditional style and methods of Ukrainian dance. You have and will continue to loose your audence that supports the traditional style go back to what put you on the map as it is a proud heritage that continues to evolve without going to your extreme interpretation. good luck on finding your roots you dont have to look far.

There is only the one video on youtube currently but the website is being totally redone and will be updated shortly with videos of things we are working on presently.
I do think that you will find that this show will be a good balance of both traditional and contemporary both which are past pieces and new works. As well as two hopaks, one traditional and one contemporary. Personally I think you cant do the same pollissian dance at every show for the whole existense of a company. You need new tricks and there is only so much you can do with traditional choreography. The audience will get bored and these days with So You Think You Can Dance and dance becoming mainstream and popular again, people are expecting way more, are more educated about dance and have higher expectations. And dont worry, we have not forgotten our roots. All our dances are based on traditional stories and culture, we just choose to showcase it a different way. Ukrainian dance has been popular in the edmonton area and in canada for decades and i think the general population is getting tired of hand clapping, splits and obretas.

Confused and bored is exacly what I got from your last show. Again went to other traditional shows and their interperpretations were neither confusing or boring, lots of excitement all the way though, instead of periods of dullness then a sudden burst of come to life,that to me is a true performance captivating your audence all the way though not just in the last 5 minutes of a hopak.

I'll be there!! I hope it's better than best of shumka 2 but i heard theres some kinda crazy hopak shumka has been working on!

Dont worry, the Hopak will blow you away. And it is indeed very crazy haha.

Yes indeed Shumka has now done it quite possibly the last nail in the coffin for your Ukrainian title a razzle dazle hopak.I was one of the fortunate people not to see this disgrace but have talked to many that said what the hell was that. Congratulation on celebrating your 50th with a performance that will now secure your future as a non Ukrainian dance company enjoy your plumit as your Ukrainian audience bids good ridence to the most time honored thing in Ukrainian dance a hopak I cant wait to see every dance company in Canada repeat your work I'm surprized you werent booed off the stage, this is comming from very expierenced Ukrainian dance instructors.

If you would have actually come to the show you would have seen that there was a large amount of traditional and numbers from the roots of Ukrainian dance. The crowd loved the Hopak and it was time a group stepped up and took a chance, not again repeating an anciet Hopak that you can see anywhere. Virsky's hopak was bold and different when it was first showcased and now everyone loves it and it has come to be known as the only real style of Hopak. Shumka can still be called a Ukrainian dance company but is now also known for variety and technique. There is nothing wrong with that. And those instructors are probably the ones teaching strict traditional which everyone is getting bored of. Too bad you cant say your dance group or the one you support sold out the Jubilee Auditorium two nights in row and that their show became recognized nationally. That is why Shumka is sucessful and that is why they are know as ambassadors of the Ukrainian culture in Canada.

I am quoting people that actually went to it.These elements of Traditional dance were from Old dances that put you on the map,Incredible that an audience would enjoy "old style dances". And I have been part of sellout audiences. I will not pay to go to see your shows.As I would not pay to see say the National ballet of canada put on a hip hop,tap and jazz show it just doesnt fit. Your status as Canadian ambassidors of Ukr culture was from roots long ago that is what put your name on the map will this flashy costumed razzle dazzle hopak change the face of Ukr dancing for years to come or will it be remembered at all.Maybe Ill get to see your New hopak if you even decide to keep it but seeing it for free is somthing that i dont know if Shumka does anymore either.Who are these people getting bored of Traditional Ukr dance the same that show up at other Ukr dance shows or the thousands of parents bringing their kids to learn traditional style where do you get this notion that people are bored of this style?Who is saying this , Certainly no one that went to see your show that I talked to.

Not every person who went to the show thinks that. You are quoting the people who have the same opinion as you. And we did have a brand new 14 minute full regional number in the show. The National Ballet still does things that are not classical ballet like modern which today includes steps from a variety of dance disciplines. And we werent just called Ambassadors for our culture and the Ukrainian culture in Canada in our "old days", we are still known as that today.
www.edmontonjournal.com . . .
We have a free show Canada Day on the outdoor Shumka stage if you would like to attend. And this boredom can be easily found. Edmonton has one of the largest Ukrainian dance communities in the world. Volya with their strict (actually semi strict) traditional show could not sell out the Dow Center which is a tenth of the Jubilee with their recent show.



"And what better way to celebrate Shumka’s fiftieth anniversary than with a new “50th Anniversary Hopak”?

Ganert pulled out all the stops with this fresh and fiery new expression of the sheer joy of movement, set on the entire company of fifty-eight dancers to an original symphonic score by Kyiv composer Yuri Shevchenko. It was a stellar performance and hopefully we’ll be seeing this new Shumka showstopper for many more years to come. "

The Dance Current