Svitlo Ukrainian Dancers host Razom 2020

Svitlo Ukrainian Dancers host Razom 2020

Michelle Pinon News Advertiser

The history, music and culture of the Ukrainian people was brought to life by members of the Svitlo Ukrainian Dancers during Razom 2020 at the Vegreville Social Centre.

All of the performers with the Svitlo Ukrainian Dancers impressed the audience of 320 people during Razom 2020.

Around 320 people enjoyed stellar performances by all 46 of the dancers who depicted the story of the Ukrainian ancestors through artistry and athleticism.

A total of 36 dance families gathered for the celebration. One of those families was the Hudema family. Jerry and Audrey Hudema came out to support their five-year-old granddaughter Shelby Crowther. Jerry said it was about 20 years ago when he saw his daughter Holly dance. Holly was in attendance with her husband Kendall Warawa for the celebration.

Former college buddies David Sen, Michael Budd and Curtis Bohn have been attending the event since 2002. David, who is married to Christel, were cheering on their daughter Sydney. “It’s a great social event,” said David. Christel said Sydney is enjoying her first year of dance and has noticed her daughter has become more social, is making new friends, learning dance skills and gaining confidence.

“She loves performing and all of the dancers feed off their energy…There’s a lot of encouragement and camaraderie.” Christel said there is a lot of interaction with the older dancers, who are great role models for the younger dancers.

Christel said the kids are learning so much more than dancing as they learn about history and culture, as well as language as several of the dancers are part of the Ukrainian bilingual program at A.L. Horton School.

Great Grandma Anne Skolski was in attendance with her daughter Pat and her husband Orest Yackimec who came to support their son Shane and his wife Raeanne. The shining stars of the family were Paisley and Beckett. There was no mistaking the love in their eyes and the happiness in their hearts, and to see and feel their grandchildren’s enthusiasm for Ukrainian dancing.

It was the same for all of the families as they watched the happy, nervous and excited dancers perform on stage.

The dancers will be preparing for festivals in St. Paul and Camrose this year. They are also looking forward to performing for the large crowds at the Pysanka Festival in Vegreville July 3-6. But for now, they enjoyed soaking in the atmosphere, dining on great Ukrainian fare and hitting the big dance floor to enjoy the sounds of Millenia.

Members of the organizing committee included: Patricia Shewchuk, Roxy Weleschuk, Christel Sen and Amanda Tymchuk. The ladies spent the last three months planning the fundraiser, looking after all of the details and fine tuning everything it entails to make it extra special.