Shumka’s Cinderella Show Tours Ukraine

The Ukrainian Shumka Dancers, one of the most exciting dance troupes in Canada today, have thrilled audiences with their signature whirlwind style and the magical world of Cinderella. The Edmonton based dance company will perform the original production of their Cinderella show in the Kyiv Opera House on July 6 and 7, 2007. The Ukraine Tour will then continue to Donetsk, where Vadym Pisarev’s “World Ballet Stars” company will present Shumka on July 9 and 10.

Under the Artistic Direction of Gordon Gordey, this 55-member Edmonton-based company successfully presented Shumka’s Cinderella in 12 centres in Western Canada in Spring 2000 and went on to tour Eastern Canada including performances at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and Toronto’s Hummingbird Centre. Shumka’s Cinderella is a stunningly visual show with elaborate sets and hundreds of costumes designed by Maria Levitska. The captivating choreography of its former Artistic Director, John Pichlyk, in collaboration with the Artistic Director of the Kyiv Ballet, Victor Lytvynov, set to the symphonic musical score of State Honoured composer of Ukraine, Yuri Shevchenko, received high critical acclaim. Deirdre Kelly of The Globe and Mail said, “Everyone of the dancers is a virtuoso and the remake of the fairy-tale classic is a megadance spectacle... for Ukrainian folk dance... Catapulted into the big time… As they say on the ‘Great White Way’... this baby’s got legs.”

Ukrainian culture abounds with heroes and heroines, with magical spirits, with folk traditions of Princes and Princesses, and with romanticism. Marrying the poetic charm of traditional Ukrainian folk dance with elements of ballet and contemporary movement, Shumka is proud to share Cinderella with the world, to experience a classic tale on a journey of love, magic and triumph. 

NP – Shumka was founded under the auspices of the Ukrainian National Federation – Edmonton Branch in 1959 by Chester (Myroslav) Kuc, first artistic director and performer. The majority of the original performers were members of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation (MUN).