Kaitlyn Boyko

Kaitlyn started Ukrainian dancing when she was 3 years old with the Zorianka Dancers and danced for 16 years before becoming an instructor with the Korynnia Dance Ensemble. She competed in various dance competitions throughout Western Canada, and participated on both the performing and instructing end of the Disneyland Magic Music Days Festival and performed on a cruise ship. Kaitlyn is eager to be back teaching and can’t wait to share her dancing experience and knowledge with the Verkhovyna Dancers!

Matt Boyko

Matt began dancing when he was 3 years old with the Shumka School of Dance. He eventually moved on to dance with the Vohon Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and later the Korynnia Dance Ensemble where he performed in numerous places such as New York, Disneyland, a Caribbean Cruise Line and Western Canada. Matt is looking forward to teaching and sharing his many years of Ukrainian Dance experience with the Verkhovyna Dancers!

Tanya Chrapko

Tanya has been Ukrainian dancing for most of her life, for seven years with Dunai and previously with the Alberta Zirka Ukrainian Performers. Along with Tanya’s dance experience, she also brings a performance background as a singer/actor with various theatre groups, choirs and solo performing in and around Edmonton. She has instructed with Camrose Veselka Dancers, Alberta Zirka Ukrainian Performers & Kiev’s-K-Hi Summer Camp. Tanya is excited to have had the opportunity to accompany the Intermediate 2 & Senior classes to Disneyland this August for their workshop and performance. She is also looking forward to the energy this year’s instructional team at the Verkhovyna School of Ukrainian Dance will give to their dancers and can’t wait to see what her 4th year with the school will bring!

Teresa Doroshenko

Teresa has been Ukrainian dancing for 19 years. She has danced with Zorianka and The Korynnia Ukrainian Dance Ensemble where she travelled to Disneyland multiple times for Magic Music Days and as well as performed on the Carnival Cruise Line. Teresa has had the pleasure to instruct with Korynnia for 3 years and very exciting to be teaching for the first time with Verkhovyna!

Daniel Feculak

Daniel has over 10 years of dance experience with the Verkhovyna Dance School. The last 4 years have been spent as a member of Dunai, where he has had the opportunity to travel to various countries and festivals around the world. Trips include, Eastern Europe as part of an anniversary tour, Dauphin Manitobas Canadian National Ukranian Festival and most recently, Toronto's Bloor West Village Ukrainian Festival. Daniel is also very involved in our Ukrainian community. Currently, he belongs to CYM, the Ukrainian Youth Association, and holds a position on two executives, Verkhovyan and CYM. He has been on the Verkhovyna executive for his third consecutive year, and recently picked up a position on the CYM executive. He is very excited to be joining the instructional team for his third year and is ready for the new challenges that come with it!

Alanna Fildes

Alanna started her dance career with The Alberta Zirka Ukrainian Performers in Calmar, where she danced for 11 years. While she was with Zirka they had the opportunity to travel to Ukraine and participate in dance workshops all across the country with many different instructors and dance styles. While still dancing with Zirka the urge to explore different styles of dance came and she started taking Ballet and Modern dance to expand her horizons. She started my training with the Shumka School of Dance with their Technique classes for 3 years when she then joined their Grade 9 class and completed herGrade 9 Syllabus with distinction. Her next move was to Volya, where she danced for a year. Then shestarted dancing with Dunai and she is now starting her second year with the group. Alanna is very excited to be starting her second year of teaching with the Verkhovyna School of Dance.

Oksana Iwaszko

With 20 years of dance experience, Oksana began her dancing career with our own Verkhovyna Dance School at the age of four. At the age of 16 she moved on to dance with the Dunai Ukrainian Dancers where she has been for the past 8 years and has had the opportunity to travel the world. Oksana began teaching with the Dance School in 2006 and since then has been able to teach a variety of ages groups and classes. In addition to her dance career, she has also been an active member of the Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM) for 16 years. Along with being a member of both groups for many years, Oksana has also been on the CYM and Verkhovyna Executive for the past 6 years and is currently in her second term as Ensemble President. We are pleased to welcome Oksana back for her 6th year!

Natalia Iwaszko 

With 20 years of Ukrainian dance experience, Natalia’s very first dance lessons began at the Verkhovyna Dance School. She is a current member with The Dunai Ukrainian Dancers and has had the pleasure to be part of two anniversay tours with the Verkhovyna Ensemble. Natalia is also an active member on the Verkhovyna and CYM Executive. She maintains her skills and knowledge for dance through enrolment in ballet technique classes. We are pleased to welcome Natalia back to the dance school for a third year.

Camille Ostapowich-Allen

Camille has danced for 26 years. Her history includes ballet and ukrainian dance and attending modern dance workshops with Brian Webb. Camille began her dance career with instructor, Chester Kuc and danced in Chumak and Shumka Ukrainian Dance Schools. Her dance brought her to Dunai where she danced for over fifteen years. With Dunai she has had the opportunity to display her culture in various areas around the world including New York, Philadelphia, Illinois, Brazil, Costa Rica and various cities throughout Canada. Camille has taught dance for over eight years with dance schools, including Verkhovyna Dance School, Vermilion and Waskatenau. She looks forward to another year with Verkhovyna Dance School where she can impress upon dance students her pride & dedication to dance and her culture.

Shawn Ostafie

Shawn has been dancing from the age of 3 first starting in the Yorkton Kalyna Ukrainian Dance School and finishing with Vohon Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. Vohon has performed many shows in a vast range of places such as Canada, USA, Switzerland, and Germany. Shawn has instructed various clubs such as Russell Yachminka, Calder Yalenka, Sandy Lake Shevchenko, Dauphin Zirka, and Fairview Veselka Dancers. Over his fifteen years of instructing, Shawn has won various personal awards like choreography, adjudicators choice and group awards like most promising group and highest mark. Shawn gained knowledge of Ukrainian dance through years of experience as well as attending Grant MacEwan college for courses on various types of dance. I'm currently teaching barvinok dance school in fort. Sask and as well as the Malanka dance school in Lloydminster this year! This is Shawn's second year instructing with Verkhovyna and is eager to share his knowledge and experience with children who are excited to learn about the Ukrainian culture.

Loren Winnick

Loren has been Ukrainian dancing for eighteen years. Currently he is a member of Volya! Ukrainian Dance Ensemble where he has performed in Turkey and most recently just came back from performing in the Azores islands of Portugal this past summer. Previously he danced for nine years with Kupalo Ukrainian Dance Ensemble where he performed throughout Canada, Western U.S.A., Ireland, Ukraine and Scotland. Loren is happy to be back with this year’s instructional team and is extremely excited to share his knowledge of Ukrainian dancing with the students.