2024 was another whirlwind year for Shumka! The professional company presented a new work, Ukrainka, celebrating the life and works of the Ukrainian literary icon Lesya Ukrainka. Hours later, dancers and staff left Edmonton to tour the Eastern United States with the National Ballet of Ukraine in a show that symbolized the enduring bonds between the North American Ukrainian diaspora and Ukraine. The Shumka School of Dance continued to provide world-leading training to the next generation of young dancers, and Studia Shumka provided pre-professional training to dancers aspiring to one day join Shumka. Our outreach programs engaged members of our community through classes such as Seniors can Shumka and Silver Swans. Through these programs we've demonstrated that there is a place in the Shumka Dance Centre for everyone in our community: from young to not-so-young.
Building, touring, and maintaining luxurious productions like Shumka's Ukrainka takes time and broad financial support from across our community. We are grateful to our granting agencies for their continued support and we love hearing stories about why people like you support Shumka! Without your passion, applause, and financial contributions we would not be able to share our love for Ukrainian dance and culture with audiences across Alberta and around the world.
Despite the pandemic and its many restrictions, we persevered and continue working to honour, maintain, and develop Shumka’s history in the community. Now, more than ever, Shumka is relying on you: our friends, family, and community, to keep our boots moving and our doors open. Your donation today will support Shumka in creating new choreography, developing costumes and sets, and commissioning music for generations to come.
While no one can predict what that future might bring, Shumka has stood the test of time and will continue to do so with your support. Just as dancers have enthralled audiences for decades, your generosity ensures that the next generation of dancers and audiences will have those same experiences and memories.
