Vernon鈥檚 Sadok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Okanagan Ukrainian Festival, and the public is invited to join in the party.

An afternoon of dance, music and Ukrainian spirit takes place Sunday, May 28, at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre beginning at 2 p.m.

Sadok will celebrate the milestone with special guests Pokotillo Ukrainian Dancers of Kamloops, Dolyna Ukrainian Dancers and musician Vic Ukrainetz, both of 琉璃神社 along with a special performance by Sadok alumni.

The dance ensemble will also walk the audience down memory lane with photos from the past during the first half of the show.

The second half of the performance will highlight the sacrifices that Ukrainians have made for their country during this past year with a dance to remember those who have lost their lives entitled, Eternal Memory!

The Sadok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble is a local dance theatre troupe that continually pushes the boundaries of this unique art form by entertaining and educating their audience about their beautiful Ukrainian Canadian heritage.

They have performed throughout the Okanagan, Vancouver, Alberta and Los Angeles, and their travels took them to Ukraine in 2006 to study at the Virsky State Ensemble summer dance program.

In March of 2008 they performed at Disneyland, California, where they shared their culture with the world. In 2013, Sadok returned to Ukraine to once again enjoy the beautiful country, visit family and study dance at the Yunist Dance Ensemble studio at the Palace of Culture in Lviv.

In 2014, the ensemble was the guest performers at the Cultural Showcase at the Vegreville Ukrainian Pysanky Festival in Alberta. Two years later, Sadok provided a two-act theatrical performance for the Vancouver Greek Festival, and in 2018, they traveled back to Ukraine for the International Ukrainian Dance Festival in Lviv.

This excitingly vibrant and colourful style of dance is always enjoyed by audiences of both Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike.

This is the 28th theatrical dance and music production choreographed by artistic director Andrea Malysh. Through her 40 years of Ukrainian folk dance and ethnographic studies, Malysh has had the privilege to work with other professional instructors and regional experts in Canada, Australia and Ukraine.

In 2006, Malysh was awarded a diploma from the School of Choreography at the Virsky National University of Arts and Culture in Kyiv.

鈥淭his past year, Sadok鈥檚 focus has been on performances and events that focus on fundraising for Ukraine,鈥� said Malysh. 鈥淪adok continues to fundraise for Ukraine and will be also accepting donations (cash or cheque) for the Canada-Ukraine Foundation for the Ukraine Humanitarian Aid Fund at this event.鈥�

Admission is by donation.

roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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