Chudovyi Ukrainian Dancers of Innisfree shine bright during Malanka Celebration

Chudovyi Ukrainian Dancers of Innisfree shine bright during Malanka Celebration

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

The Chudovyi Ukrainian Dancers performed before a sold out crowd of 325 people during its Malanka celebration at the Innisfree Recreation Centre on Jan. 21.

Spirit and Culture are a common thread between Canada and Ukraine and that was exemplified in various ways throughout the celebration. Dance Instructor Nick Hynek remarked, “We don’t know how lucky we are to celebrate.” He was thinking about the friends he had made while teaching at an international school in Kyiv before the Russian invasion began last February.

Junior dancers perform Hutsul Rhythms.

Michelle Pinon/Photo

He had planned to stay a year in the Capital City of Ukraine before war broke out. He had also planned to explore the country and perhaps meet some of his distant cousins who reside there, but that all came to an end when he began receiving emails from the Canadian government telling him to get out of the country and return home at the beginning of February.

Hynek, said he tries to stay connected and sends videos to his friends to keep their spirits up and show them what they are doing to keep their culture alive. Not only does Hynek teach Ukrainian dancing in Innisfree, he dances as a member of Shumka.

Lisa Anderson, President of the Chudovyi Ukrainian Dancers, said it was a real treat for the dancers to be able to watch “Mr. Nick” perform with Shumka back in October while in Edmonton during the dance troupe’s cross-Canada tour.

Dancer Tristan Neil has been with the club for 14 years and is happy to have his mom Sheila St. Clair participate in the same adult class he is in. Sheila said it took a lot of persuasion, but after all these years she decided to give Ukrainian dancing a try. Even though she is accustomed to being on stage, it was as an actor, not as a dancer. She says her biggest concern was being able to “keep up” with the other dancers, but her fears have been laid to rest, and she is enjoying performing with the group.

MC Robert Saik recalled some of his fond memories of Ukrainian dancing and of Innisfree, having grown up on a nearby farm and attending school in the community. He said Innisfree is a “very interesting” community and that it was great to be back home. In addition to naming some of the prominent families in the community, Saik mentioned his friend Yevgen Mykhaylichenko, an instructor with Olds College. Saik explained that Mykhaylichenko was originally from Ukraine and had given him a flag of Ukraine to display at the celebration that was autographed by several members of the 19th brigade. Additionally, he had given Saik about 40 dog tags, each one engraved with the trident of Ukraine, serial number, date and GPS coordinates of where they shot down a Russian missile. Saik said he was selling those to raise money to purchase reconnaissance drones for the Ukrainian army.

Dance shoes and sash.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

The dog tags are a stark reminder of the ongoing battle that continues to inflict damage and unimaginable pain on the people of Ukraine. Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk said she is proud to be a descendant of one of the first Ukrainian settlers in Canada, Iwan Pylypow back in 1890. Iwan Pylypow brought Ukrainians to Canada, and when he returned to Ukraine to bring back more to Canada he was incarcerated. “Who would think 130 years later I’d be doing the same thing, but legally.

This event, like many others across our province are indicative of the rich history of the pockets of regions of the Ukrainian community in Alberta. And so in these tough times Alberta stands with Ukraine, and always will.

In my own role with the Alberta government as the Parliamentary Secretary of Ukrainian settlement, I’m privileged to have been tasked with identifying gaps in the support that Alberta is providing to displaced persons from Ukraine and find potential solutions.”

Armstrong-Homeniuk said there’s been great progress in a number of areas recently and she is looking forward to more “positive announcements” in the near future.