In Zorya Belanger’s memory, the Cheremosh Dance Festival has made the Arden Theatre their home for over 15 years.
Centrally located, the four-day dance festival running May 9 to 12 draws dancers from across the province – Calgary, Athabasca, Elk Point, Hinton, Lloydminster and of course, Alberta’s Ukrainian capital, Vegreville. This year there are even two dance studios trekking from Saskatoon and Regina.
“We have 36 different schools coming and we expect to give out 2,400 medals,” says Belanger, the festival’s lead co-coordinator.
Dancers will perform feats from the Ukraine’s seven different regions including a category for the less common such as gypsy dances.
In addition to the traditional regional dances, performers are also presenting character dances.
“They’re still doing Ukrainian steps, but they can also be sailors, babas, didos, bakers, people of the village, animals and superstitious creatures.”
Judging the event is Ukrainian-American adjudicator Grygory Momot.
“He’s been teaching Ukrainian dance for 16 years. He’s danced with the Virsky, the top Ukrainian ensemble. He also has a degree in character dance, Ukrainian dance and costumes.”
As Alberta families have developed a renewed pride in their roots and as festival organizers have tried to spruce it up, numbers in the past few years have spiked. For instance, introducing an instructor soiree brought the Alberta and Saskatchewan dance community closer together.
“Since we only see a each other a couple of times a year, it was a good way to share ideas.”
The 27-year-old Belanger has danced for 20 years and is a living testament to the festival’s influence on young dancers.
“You’re definitely nervous, but when you go on stage, you only think of dance. When everything goes well and the audience applauds, and you get a medal, you feel you’ve accomplished something. All the hard work has paid off.”
The festival is capped on Sunday with the razzle-dazzle performances of The Show of Stars. The highest-ranking dancers will once again deliver their winning performance.
Bookending the studio performances are Cheremosh performances of the opening Kozaky, a Cossack men’s dance, and closing with a final stunning Hopak.
“This will be very exciting to watch.”
Festival competitions run Thursday, 10:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon. The Show of Stars runs from 3 to 5 p.m.
The festival competition is free, however tickets for Show of Stars are $10.
