Svitlo Ukrainian Dancers Wow Audience

Svitlo Ukrainian Dancers Wow Audience

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

The Svitlo Ukrainian Dancers wowed a crowd of 400 people during Razom 2023 with their enthusiasm, energy and skillful artistry and athleticism.

“You could just feel the energy coming off the stage,” said attendee Jocelyn Bezovie. She started Ukrainian dancing at the tender age of four and danced all the way through to her adult life until she was sidelined with life threatening health issues last spring.

Group 5 performs Hopak.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

It has been a long road back to recovery after being diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder, FND. According to Wikipedia, FND is a condition in which patients experience neurological symptoms such as weakness, movement disorders, sensory symptoms and blackouts. Symptoms of functional neurological disorders are clinically recognizable, but are not categorically associated with a definable organic disease.

With the assistance of a psychiatrist, naturopath and physical rehabilitation she has regained a lot of her health. Jocelyn knows she still has a way to go, but she is more determined than ever to get back on stage performing again. She has always loved Ukrainian dancing and she spent many years under the tutelage of Debbie Kachmar-Potter, who is the current Dance Instructor with Svitlo. Debbie’s daughter Shaughnessy Potter the Assistant Instructor with the club.

Group 2 performs Butterfly Dance.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

Debbie also grew up in the Two Hills area. Her brother Ken is the Dance Instructor for Vohon Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in Edmonton and that’s who Shaughnessy and her brother currently dance with. Debbie has been teaching Ukrainian dance for 39 years and said she got the “teaching bug” from her brother. She spends her days teaching Ukrainian dance at St. Martin Catholic Elementary School and St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School in Edmonton.

Debbie said she was asked if she would be willing to teach in Vegreville last winter after their instructor became ill, and so she spent January to April working with the students. She was asked to return for the 202223 season and “couldn’t say no.” Enrolment climbed from 25 to 39 students, and Debbie said she knew she couldn’t teach all of them and asked Shaughnessy if she would teach the younger children. Shaughnessy was more than happy to oblige.

Group 3 performs Carpathian.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

Both ladies are really enjoying their time in Vegreville and are impressed with the amount of enthusiasm and work ethic the dancers have displayed. Debbie said, “I really enjoy the kids here. When the kids want to learn, I want to teach.”

The positive results have been evident both on and off stage. “I don’t expect perfection, but I want them to do their best so they can improve and give themselves confidence.” Debbie said that confidence filters into other aspects of their lives and will serve them well in the future.

“My mom and my uncle are my biggest inspiration,” said Shaughnessy. The 17-year-old has a passion for dancing and teaching and plans to become an elementary school teacher after receiving her arts and education degree from Concordia University.

Group 3 performs Carpathian.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

Shaughnessy began to assist teach when she was 12-years-old and at the age of 16 she started teaching her own classes in Edmonton and Vegreville.

The dancers performed well at a recent competition in Camrose and will be competing in Fort Saskatchewan next month before their final year end concert on May 7.

One of the dancers, eight-year-old Yurii Koval, said he just loves to dance and is enjoying his first season with Svilto. Yurii, his two siblings Oleh and Taras, and his parents Olha and Roman came from Chodoriv, Ukraine to Vegreville almost a year ago.

Group 4 performs Polissian.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

Parents Christel Sen and Allison Palsitt organized Razom 2023 which had been sold out for weeks before the event. In-depth preparation began about three months ago where they selected the caterer, band, decide on décor and get tickets printed and advertising completed. This year a new addition was the Ukrainian photo booth supplied by Vegreville based professional photographer Lynda Olsen of Olsen Art Shot Proof.

“This labour of love is worth all the hard work when our dancers, (from our youngest group to our adults) hit the stage to perform for the crowd, when the dancers get in to their party clothes and eat the meal and then finish the night off dancing to tremendous music.

We deeply appreciate our community, dancer families and guests from out of town who come back every year to celebrate alongside us,” stated Sen.