Along the Shore

Members of the Zorya Dance Association ensemble in performance. | SUBMITTED

Ukrainian dance: Movement and passion

By Peter Fergus-Moore

THUNDER BAY—Dance is one of the most disciplined of the arts, and its practice is more than enough to bring out groups of people to different locations in the south ward of Thunder Bay, when most people are home watching tv. Ground-breaking celebrated Ukrainian choreographer Pavlo Virsky (1905-1975) would smile approvingly at the hard work of the dancers of the Chaban Ukrainian Dance Group and Zorya Ukrainian Dance Association, who are exercising their passion as well as their root culture.

“I am 62 years old and I still dance,” enthuses Chaban’s artistic director Cathy Paroschy-Harris, as she watches over the Veselka and Ensemble practice session on a Sunday evening. Zorya’s dance school coordinator/director Alice Chony would emphatically agree.

“I want to get more flexible!” exclaims Zorya’s 10-year-old Emma, when asked why she wants to learn the challenging movements of Ukrainian dance. Seven-year-old fellow Girls’ Technique student Ashlen adds, “I want to learn Ukrainian dancing and singing and be part of my culture.”

Chaban’s practice facility, the Ukrainian National Hall, like the gymnasium at First Wesley United Church where Zorya practices, features a wall of mirrors some two metres high, and ballet and technique barres used in dance exercises. The professional equipment and the manifest concentration of the dancers belies something equally evident as the dancer’s spin, leap and kick: joy.

“I started dancing at age 3. I tried almost every type of dance,” explains Chaban’s Viktoriya Dyukaryeva, “but I love the athleticism of Ukrainian dance, the costumes, the regions, the styles—I never stop learning.”

“I’ve been doing this most of my life,” says Zorya’s Marnie Wolowich. “When Zorya was formed, I had to ask my parents to use their basement as we didn’t have a place to practice. I never dreamed then that 19 years later, we would be taking part in a dance workshop at the Virsky Dance Studio in Kyiv.”

“I like to move,” she adds. “I like Ukrainian dance, with lots of people on the stage, the (dancers’) smiling, the ribbons and costumes.”

The Ukrainian culture, in all its variety and dynamism, is never far away from a discussion of dance. Chaban and Zorya, for example, are not only involved in dance but in the art of pysanka, the decoration of hens’ eggs with unique cultural motifs.

“The focus is to share as much as we can about the beautiful Ukrainian culture,” Paroschy-Harris explains.

“The Easter egg decorating teaches about the colours and the symbols, their meaning,” agrees Chony. “We are slowly bringing back the culture.”

Chony’s remark speaks to a historical phenomenon among many immigrant groups coming to settle in Canada and finding themselves up against a dominant, not always friendly culture, with a foreign (to them) language. Many individuals and families chose to try to leave their root culture and language behind, to try to blend in with the dominant society as they saw it. In more recent years, immigrant nationalities are striving to retain their original cultural identity and language, and to strike a balance between living in an ever-evolving Canadian culture and living the identities and customs they have brought with them from abroad. Ukrainian Canadians are no exception to this phenomenon.

“We are building capacity in our dance troupe,” says Wolowich, “to continue our cultural traditions.”

Wolowich points to one aspect of Ukrainian dance as an example.

“Lots of folk dances—and Ukrainian dance—have a gender orientation, with the roles portrayed in the dance.”

Over at Chaban, the male dancers execute the bochka, or barrel spin. The female dancers, especially instructors, watch closely. The instructors then practice the same maneuver.

“This is a men’s step, but they want to master it for themselves,” says Paroschy-Harris. “They might be teaching this step to little boys.”

“Girls who are maturing into women wear the vinok, the headdress with ribbons down the back,” says Wolowich. “And then there’s the iconic red boots.”

As with many nationalities, there is also a rich variety in customs, traditional dress, and language in Ukraine, which itself borders no fewer than seven other European countries and is made up of 27 administrative regions. Both groups occasionally bring in guest choreographers, which helps keep the dance fresh and evolving. Dyukaryeva, herself from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, is delighted to learn the cultural offerings of other Ukrainian regions:

“Every village has its own style,” she says.

The cultural encounter is not one way, as Wolowich and other Zorya members have performed in Ukraine. Wolowich herself vividly remembers dancing in Dyukaryeva‘s home city on one such occasion, while Chaban has performed a few times across Ukraine.

Both groups have been involved in fundraising performances, with an increased focus recently on the needs of Ukrainian refugees in Canada, and humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Obviously, to share Ukrainian dance at its best on such occasions and at other performances, the dancers must keep up a regimen of strenuous weekly practice. And practice they do, smiling as they experience the discipline of dance, the feel of their culture and the benevolent influence of master Virsky.

Strength, community and fun with Lynx Fit

By Rae Poynter

GRAND MARAIS—It’s no secret that movement is good for us. For many people, the new year brings an increased focus on wellness, including exercise. However, sticking to a workout routine can be challenging when working out feels like a chore. But what if movement wasn’t just a resolution, but the most fun part of your day? Carmen Skildum is the owner and founder of Lynx Fit, a Grand Marais area business that offers personal training and group strength training classes that have a focus on making movement enjoyable.

“I want people to enjoy movement because one of the big reasons people stop doing something is because it’s not fun, and a huge part of what movement should be is fun,” Skildum said.

Strength training benefits the mind and mood just as much as the body.

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Skildum started her journey into the world of fitness when she began weight lifting in her late 20s. Her love for fitness led her to becoming a certified personal trainer, and she started working with clients one-onone from her home gym. Word got out, and now she offers a variety of classes, including high-intensity interval training (HIIT), moderate-intensity interval training (MIIT), strength and conditioning classes, and oneon-one training.

Lynx Fit classes vary from class to class and day to day, but a few elements remain the same: each of the sessions is about 45 minutes long and strength-based, with a structure that aims for a full-body workout. Skildum said that her style is interactive, and that coming up with new workout routines is her creative outlet. Even with group classes, Skildum is focused on the individual, with plenty of flexibility for each person to go at their own pace.

“If someone’s never lifted before that’s totally okay,” Skildum said. “There’s no pressure, and we have people practice the motions without using the weights yet. Everyone is welcome to do whatever they’re comfortable with on a particular day.”

Strength training provides a myriad of benefits, from developing stronger bones to improving cardiovascular health to decreasing your risk of injury from other activities.

Strength training, too, is beneficial for people of all ages–Skildum said you’re never too old to start weight training, and that weight training can help with mobility and increasing strength after past injuries. Strength training also benefits the mind and mood just as much as the body.

“One of the benefits I also stress is the benefits of movement for mental health,” Skildum said. “Endorphins are like the magic pill people don’t know that they should take for their mood. And in a group setting there’s so much positive energy you need, especially in the winter and living up here where we’re so isolated. Physical benefits aside, the mental benefits are really where it’s at. It makes a big difference.”

Lynx Fit owner and founder Carmen Skildum.

BECCA ORF OF STIR PHOTOGRAPHY

Hayley Scott is a Cook County resident who has experienced firsthand the difference that movement can make. Scott lives in Schroeder and found out about Lynx Fit when Carmen Skildum was teaching classes in Tofte. Scott started attending classes regularly, and when Skildum stopped teaching classes in Tofte, she and a few other West End friends started making the trip to Grand Marais to continue attending her classes.

“Her classes were life changing for me,” Scott said. “It’s taught me to be stronger and to take care of my body in ways that I never thought that I could.”

Scott said that among the many things she likes about Lynx Fit classes, she appreciates the instruction on form and the atmosphere that’s welcoming to people of all levels, including total beginners. For beginners, one of the biggest upsides of working with a trainer or joining a group exercise class is becoming more comfortable with strength training. Walking into a gym full of equipment can be daunting for someone with no experience, but having someone there to introduce you to proper form and use of the equipment can help ease that process.

“I think people can be intimidated when you don’t know how to do exercises,” Scott said. “I didn’t know much about exercise or weight lifting until I started with Carmen, and now I’m confident that I can go to the gym and do deadlifts, squat racks, and all of those exercises because she taught me how.”

Altogether, both Scott and Skildum emphasized the importance of community, laughter and fun during the process.

“It’s a fun time, which I think is the most important thing,” Skildum said. “I try to help you leave feeling good and have a good time connecting with your body, connecting with other people, and surprising yourself a little bit.”

Those interested in learning about Lynx Fit, including class schedules and passes, can find more information at: lynxfitmn.com.

The Blue Moose changes hands

By Eric Weicht

GRAND MARAIS—Cook County couple James Coleman and Teri Chilefone had a very busy 2022.

On March 7, Coleman and Chilefone sold the Mountain Inn to Odyssey Resorts, a hotel that they managed to flip into a “charming little inn” over the course of three years.

“We bought the Mountain Inn from Mike Larson in December 2018,” says Chilefone, “and then, literally, with our own two hands, James and I renovated the place inside and out to turn it into the boutique-style hotel that it is today.”

“We put a lot of work into all 29 rooms,” continues Chilefone, “painted the exterior, created new outdoor and indoor gathering spaces, redid the front desk, put in a gift shop, a pantry, and eventually took our average rating from 2.3 to nine stars. My sister has different murals on all the walls—it’s really a sweet space.”

Selling the Mountain Inn—a business that Coleman and Chilefone invested so much time and energy into— was not an easy decision to make. It took persistence on Odysseys part and a little bit of “charming” by Odyssey’s CEO Kirk Schultz to win the couple

Once the Inn was sold, however, Coleman and Chilefone were both eager to find something new to pour themselves into, eager to explore new ways to stay active in a community that they feel has given them so much.

Not that the two of them didn’t already have a lot on their collective plate...

Cook County couple James Coleman and Teri Chilefone are the new owners of the Blue Moose in Grand Marais.

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James runs a contracting business, Boulder Point Services, in addition to being heavily involved with the Lutsen Fire Department and Cook County EMS. Chilefone, on the other hand, manages her own massage studio, LutZen Massage, that currently has two locations within the county and employs five different massage therapists.

Regardless, on June 17 of the same year, Coleman and Chilefone purchased the Blue Moose in Grand Marais from long-time owner Bill Doucette.

“It was our friend Linda Garrity who first asked if we’d be interested in purchasing the Blue Moose,” says Chilefone. “Apparently, there were a couple of interested buyers who planned on turning the property into vacation rentals, so we looked at the numbers and all that, but it wasn’t until we heard Bill and his wife Marybeth’s story that we knew [purchasing] was the right choice.”

“Everyone we ever talk to,” continues Chilefone, “comes to tears when they reminisce about these two and how they impacted the community. They left a bit of a legacy with this place and it is our hope to do the same, to continue what Bill started.”

Today, there are seven cabins on the property in addition to the Blue Moose storefront, though, according to Coleman and Chilefone, two of them are considered “complete tear downs.”

Being the dynamic duo that they are, Coleman and Chilefone have already renovated one of the cabins, and, according to Chilefone, she and her husband plan to renovate the other four salvageable existing cabins before adding to the property by building five more. All 10 cabins will be rented out as long-term rentals.

“Keeping the cabins as long-term rentals,” says Chilefone, “that was Bill’s thing.”

“When other [property owners] started converting their properties into vacation rentals,” continues Chilefone, “Bill really went hard the other way. It’s my understanding that he really helped a lot of people out.”

As far as the Blue Moose storefront is concerned, Coleman and Chilefone hope to make the shop their own without changing its underlying spirit.

“The Blue Moose is just a sweet little shop,” says Chilefone. “Like our other businesses, James and I plan on putting our flair on the shop, but I think we’re going to keep those ideas on the ‘D-L’ a little longer.”

“Rene Swadberg has been the general manager of the Blue Moose for 15 years,” continues Chilefone, “and she has done an amazing job. She is in her seventies, but has agreed to keep running things for another year, maybe two, and our hope is to find someone to mentor under her before she goes.”

The Blue Moose is open May-October, though now is a great time to put in “Bare Root Orders” for the 2023 season.

For further information on the Blue Moose and all that there is to discover in the shop, visit their website at: thebluemoosemn.com.