The Verkhovyna Ukrainian Song and Dance Ensemble's goal is to promote the Ukrainian culture and increase awareness of the Ukrainian heritage. Verkhovyna thrives on enabling their own members, audiences, and the community to build friendships, a sense of belonging and an extended family.
The Verkhovyna Ukrainian Song and Dance Ensemble is a unique Ukrainian Ensemble, which has the ability to combine forces and blend Ukrainian Song and Dance in ambitious and exciting ways.
The Verkhovyna Ukrainian Song and Dance Ensemble is the cultural arm of the Edmonton branch of the Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada (CYM). A broad spectrum of the Ukrainian community is represented within the ensemble, from Ukrainians new to Canada to fourth generation Ukrainian Canadians.
The Ensemble is comprised of three groups, the Verkhovyna Choir, Dunai Dancers, and Verkhovyna Ensemble School of Ukrainian dance. The Verkhovyna Choir and Dunai Dancers have toured together as an ensemble, as well as performed separately, for appreciative audiences in Canada, The United States of America, Brazil, Costa Rica and Eastern Europe.
Halyna Lazurko - Verkhovyna Choir Director
Halyna Lazurko brings a life long love of music, formal training and over 30 years of choral performance experience.
Halyna holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Calgary (1979), an ARCT in piano performance (1980), and a licentiate in clarinet (1979). She subsequently studied choral conducting with the late Maestro Volodymyr Kolesnyk (former director of the Taras Shevchenko State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Kyiv) and took voice training with Lary Benson, a known artist in Edmonton. She has worked as an accompanist for the Alberta Ballet School and numerous vocal and instrumental soloists as well as choirs.
Halyna has been the musical director for the Verkhovyna Choir since 1994. Her strengths as a choral conductor and musician lie in the attention that she gives to detail, pitch, phrasing and dynamics giving each piece a sense of direction and purpose. She brings out the artistic merit of every work she performs. She also takes pride in performing a unique and interesting repertoire ranging from traditional arrangements of folk songs to contemporary works.
Shane Gibson - Dunai Dancers Male Artistic Director
Shane Gibson is a former member of the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers, with whom he danced with for more than 14 years. During his involvement with Shumka, he toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States and China as a cast member of “Absolutely Shumka”, “Cinderella”, and “The Cobbler’s Princess”. Mr. Gibson’s dance training includes but is not limited to the genres of Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Musical Theatre and has worked and trained with several celebrated artists in North America and Ukraine.
Mr. Gibson has complimented his dance training with his studies in; gross human anatomy/physiology, biomechanics, and visual and performing arts.
Shane continues to share his love of dance with dance students across Western Canada in varying capacities as an Artistic Director, an Instructor and a Guest Choreographer. Recently, in furtherance of Mr. Gibson’s passion to improve the art of Ukrainian dance in Canada, he has begun to offer professional development for Instructors across the country through his role as co-founder of the Ukrainian Dance Instructor Conference. The Verkhovyna Ensemble is pleased to welcome Shane Gibson as the new male Artistic Director of the Dunai Ukrainian Dancers!
Camille Ostapowich-Allen - Dunai Dancers Female Artistic Director