Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company
Encyclopedia
Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company ' onMouseout='HidePop("45346")' href="/topics/Romanization_of_Ukrainian">translit.
Ukrayins' kiy Tantsyuvalniy Ansambl' "Cheremosh") is a Ukrainian dance
company based in Edmonton, Alberta and a leader of Ukrainian dance in Canada. It was founded in 1969 by Chester and Luba Kuc and named after the Cheremosh River
that separates the historic regions of Bukovyna and Galicia in Ukraine
. Since 1991 Cheremosh has been under the direction of Artistic Director
and Ballet Master
Mykola Kanevets
. Cheremosh has toured throughout Canada
, the United States
, Scotland
, and most recently a 10-show, 20-day tour of China
in 2007.
, Alberta
, was founded in 1969 by Chester and Luba Kuc. The group began with just 19 dancers, and since then has grown to include four performing groups, a School of Dance and over 100 dancers at the various levels. Named after the Cheremosh River
that separates the regions of Bukovyna and Halychyna in Ukraine, the company easily matches the river's boisterousness and vivacity.
As Cheremosh's first Artistic Director, Chester Kuc's goal was to modernize Ukrainian Folk Dance by attempting to convey certain truths about the Ukrainian
people. Using dance to make these truths dramatic and effective, he brought his dances to the stage in order to entertain audiences and further the growth of the rich Ukrainian culture in Canada.
Since its inception, Cheremosh has had five artistic director
s. Following Chester Kuc, Richard Wacko, Ken Kachmar and Greg Bayda, respectively, led Cheremosh between the years of 1982 and 1991.
Currently, all performing groups train under Artistic Director
and Ballet Master
, Mykola Kanevets
, whose distinctive choreography and meticulous instruction have helped give the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company and its affiliates maintain a strong reputation as a successful and accomplished Ukrainian dance organization.
Romanization of Ukrainian
The romanization or Latinization of Ukrainian is the representation of the Ukrainian language using Latin letters. Ukrainian is natively written in its own Ukrainian alphabet, a variation of Cyrillic....
Ukrayins
Ukrainian dance
Ukrainian dance refers to the traditional folk dances of the peoples of Ukraine.Today, Ukrainian dance is primarily represented by what ethnographers, folklorists and dance historians refer to as "Ukrainian Folk-Stage Dances" , which are stylized representations of traditional dances and their...
company based in Edmonton, Alberta and a leader of Ukrainian dance in Canada. It was founded in 1969 by Chester and Luba Kuc and named after the Cheremosh River
Cheremosh River
The Cheremosh River is a river in western Ukraine, tributary of the Prut River.It flows along the borderline of the historic regions of Bukovina and Galicia. In the Middle Ages and the early modern era, it was part of the borderline between the Principality of Moldavia and Kingdom of Poland...
that separates the historic regions of Bukovyna and Galicia in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Since 1991 Cheremosh has been under the direction of Artistic Director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
and Ballet Master
Ballet Master
Ballet Master is the term used for an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company...
Mykola Kanevets
Mykola Kanevets
Mykola Kanevets , is the Artistic Director and Ballet Master of the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.A native of Kiev, Ukraine, Mykola attended the National University of Culture and Performing Arts in Kiev, Ukraine where he graduated from the Faculty of Choreography...
. Cheremosh has toured throughout Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and most recently a 10-show, 20-day tour of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 2007.
History
The Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company of EdmontonEdmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, was founded in 1969 by Chester and Luba Kuc. The group began with just 19 dancers, and since then has grown to include four performing groups, a School of Dance and over 100 dancers at the various levels. Named after the Cheremosh River
Cheremosh River
The Cheremosh River is a river in western Ukraine, tributary of the Prut River.It flows along the borderline of the historic regions of Bukovina and Galicia. In the Middle Ages and the early modern era, it was part of the borderline between the Principality of Moldavia and Kingdom of Poland...
that separates the regions of Bukovyna and Halychyna in Ukraine, the company easily matches the river's boisterousness and vivacity.
As Cheremosh's first Artistic Director, Chester Kuc's goal was to modernize Ukrainian Folk Dance by attempting to convey certain truths about the Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
people. Using dance to make these truths dramatic and effective, he brought his dances to the stage in order to entertain audiences and further the growth of the rich Ukrainian culture in Canada.
Since its inception, Cheremosh has had five artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
s. Following Chester Kuc, Richard Wacko, Ken Kachmar and Greg Bayda, respectively, led Cheremosh between the years of 1982 and 1991.
Currently, all performing groups train under Artistic Director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
and Ballet Master
Ballet Master
Ballet Master is the term used for an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company...
, Mykola Kanevets
Mykola Kanevets
Mykola Kanevets , is the Artistic Director and Ballet Master of the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.A native of Kiev, Ukraine, Mykola attended the National University of Culture and Performing Arts in Kiev, Ukraine where he graduated from the Faculty of Choreography...
, whose distinctive choreography and meticulous instruction have helped give the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company and its affiliates maintain a strong reputation as a successful and accomplished Ukrainian dance organization.
Past Tours
- 1977 – Sidmouth International Festival (East DevonEast DevonEast Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Sidmouth, and the largest town is Exmouth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Honiton with the urban districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St. Mary, Seaton, Sidmouth...
, south England) - 1978 –
- 1984 –
- 1988 – EncoreEncore (concert)An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
Cheremosh - 1993 – 25th Anniversary Tour
- 1999 – New Beginnings
- 2005 – RevolutionsOrange RevolutionThe Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
- 2007 – Journey to the Great WallGreat Wall of ChinaThe Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
(China) - 2009 – Razom: a Fusion of Ukrainian Dance
Other Achievements
- Have performed for Heads of State, including Queen Elizabeth II and members of the Royal FamilyBritish Royal FamilyThe British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
; former U.S. PresidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, members of Congress and the SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
; Prime Minister Brian MulroneyBrian MulroneyMartin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
; and Alberta Premiers Don GettyDon GettyDonald Ross Getty, OC, AOE is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 11th Premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992. A member of the Progressive Conservatives, he served as Energy Minister and Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister in the government of Peter Lougheed before...
, Ralph Klein and Ed StelmachEd StelmachEdward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
. - Were chosen as CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
’s sole representative to the prestigious 1996 Aberdeen International Youth FestivalAberdeen International Youth FestivalAberdeen International Youth Festival is a leading Festival of Youth Arts, and one of Scotland's major international cultural events.Every year Aberdeen International Youth Festival attracts over 1000 of the most talented young people in performing arts companies and music groups from across the...
in AberdeenAberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland. Performed in Aberdeen again in 2000. - Recipients of the 1997 City of EdmontonEdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
Salute to Excellence Arts Achievement Award and the 1994 Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts Excellence in Artistry Award. - Headliners at numerous festivals including Festival 881988 Winter OlympicsThe 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
, the Vegreville Pysanka Festival, Canada's National Ukrainian Festival, Hopak in the Park, Heritage Days and Klondike DaysEdmonton's Capital EXEdmonton's Capital EX, formerly known as Klondike Days or K-Days, is an annual 10-day exhibition held in Edmonton, Alberta, usually near the end of July. In recent years it has attracted between 700,000 and 800,000 visitors each year...
. - Invited to dance at Expo '74Expo '74Expo '74 was an environmentally themed world's fair in Spokane, Washington that ran from 4 May to 3 November 1974.Expo '74, in proclaiming itself the first exposition on an environmental theme, distanced itself from the more techno-centric world's fairs of the sixties...
in Spokane, WashingtonSpokane, WashingtonSpokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
and Expo '86 in Vancouver, B.C.VancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,... - Produced the first Ukrainian music compact disc in the world in 1988.
- Performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2005 World Masters GamesWorld Masters GamesThe World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years which, in terms of competitor numbers, has developed into the largest of its kind....
in Edmonton.