Shumka On Tour: Interview with Les Sereda and Caitlin Kaminsky
Dance is back on stage! We had a break in performances and learned to adjust to online rehearsals because of the pandemic, but we finally seem to be in a place where more shows are happening in person and it is so exciting!
Canada’s Ukrainian Shumka Dancers from Edmonton are some of those people who are back on stage. The company, which is under the creative direction of Les Sereda, Tasha Orysiuk, and Paul Olijnyk, is touring Canada. Listen to our episode with Shumka, or read on below for a transcript of the episode!
Shumka had to postpone the original tour dates from a couple of years ago because of the pandemic, but the dancers continued working online and prepared for the moment they would get to take the show on the road and perform live.
The show's first half is Mosquito’s Wedding, which is inspired by a traditional Ukrainian folk song. It has themes of diversity, overcoming stereotypes, acceptance, and LOVE! The dancers portray various insects, each representing a different region of Ukraine.
The second half of the show starts with a video called “Promised Land,” which is a tribute to the 130th anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. This half also features a dance tribute to the war in Ukraine and includes Echoes of Hopak, which shows the evolution and emotions of the dance Hopak.
We attended the Whirlwind Workshop for dancers one day before the show and learned some of Shumka’s choreography and worked on some tricks. The workshop was led by Vincent Rees, a Shumka alumnus, and a few current Shumka dancers that helped us explore Shumka’s style of dance. We also got a backstage tour to see some of the sets and costumes — WOW, there is so much work that goes into putting on a production like this. We were reminded of just how many details there are that don’t necessarily cross your mind when you’re watching the final big picture on stage.
On the note of seeing some of the costumes, Shumka even had to think creatively about transporting and storing the pieces from Mosquito’s Wedding, specifically the wings from the insect costumes. Usually, costumes can be hung on hangers, but due to needing to keep the form of the wings, a special box was made so the costume pieces could be stored and transported lying flat. Some of the insects also wear nose pieces on stage and the Trinity Chopyk, the wardrobe director, shared how some of the dancers got custom face prosthetics to create the insect look.
The set for Mosquito’s Wedding is beautiful, elaborate, and the most involved set Shumka has ever used. It was clear that countless hours of work went into designing, building, painting, storing, figuring out how to transport, and rebuilding these sets. And that time doesn’t include all of the rehearsal hours the dancers and artistic team have spent choreographing and learning how to seamlessly move these pieces around the stage. .
Working through the lighting during Shumka’s technical rehearsal in Winnipeg (May 2022).
We had the opportunity to catch part of the technical rehearsal as well. After watching a dance performance, you might have thought about all the hours that have gone into it, but if you haven’t performed before, maybe you aren’t fully aware of every little piece that brings the show to life — during tech rehearsal, we got to see just how much time was spent on these details! So much thought goes into the angle, colour, and size of the lighting and how the dancers are spaced out on the stage. As an audience member, you might not often think about the process or details that go into creating the final picture. It was inspiring for us to see the dedication to putting on a high-quality Ukrainian dance show that’s touring across Canada.
Being at the tech rehearsal was also a great reminder for us dancers (we’re both dancers!) that this specific rehearsal is not just for and about you — it’s about the whole production. Each component of the show — the lighting, music, backdrop visuals, spacing of sets and dancers — comes together at the tech rehearsal. We could actually see the wheels turning in Les’s (senior creative director) and Tasha’s (creative director) minds as they worked to set all these parts of the show. It’s clear there is a technical vision to produce this sort of a show.
To give you more insight into such a grand production, we talked with Caitlin Kaminsky, a dancer with Shumka, and Les Sereda, the senior creative director of Shumka.
Caitlin Kaminsky
Originally from Winnipeg, Caitlin joined Shumka almost 10 years ago. We spent some time with her in 2018 on Cobblestone Freeway’s Ukrainian Dance Workshop Tour. She also is a Ukrainian dance instructor. To get to know her just a little bit better, we did a classic round of rapid-fire questions.
Mosquito or grasshopper? Mosquito.
Which is your favourite Ukrainian region to dance? Bukovynian.
The Carpathian Mountains or the Black Sea? Carpathian Mountains.
What’s one of your must-have items for dance rehearsal? One of my favourite bodysuits!
What’s your favourite filling for varenyky? Potato and cheddar.
Perfect! Now that we’re a little bit warmed up, tell us what it’s like to be a Shumka dancer. How often do you rehearse and how often do you perform?
Being a Shumka dancer is really, really fun! We rehearse three days a week — longer rehearsals on Sundays, and Mondays and Wednesdays in the evenings. Dance isn’t the only thing we do — people have jobs, lives, and school outside of rehearsals. Shumka is where many of us have our best friends.
Performance opportunities can vary — we’re really lucky that we’re on tour right now and have a few shows this month! There wasn’t too much happening during COVID, but we do often have home shows in Edmonton at least once a year and summer festivals, like Vegreville Pysanka Festival and UFest.
“We think it is now more than ever important to share our art and culture with everyone.”
We want to know more about the show you’re touring now. Tell us about Mosquito’s Wedding and the character you play in it.
Mosquito’s Wedding is a lighter show with a lot of colours and characters. I get to play one of the mavky characters, which you need to come to the show to see! I also am one of the Buko flies, which is really fun because these characters have a little bit of a flair on traditional Ukrainian dance steps.
You mentioned you play two characters in Mosquito’s Wedding. Do most of the dancers have multiple characters in the show?
It kind of depends. There are some lead characters that stay in one costume because they are on and off throughout the whole show. The show is a story from beginning to end. Some people do play different roles and have to change costumes — sometimes dancers need to change into a second character and then change back into their first character. If you’re not dancing, you’re likely changing or waiting to help with some of the set moves.
We had the chance to see some of the costumes backstage, and most of them are quite elaborate, whether it’s giant stiff wings coming off your body or long noses coming off your face. What was that like to adjust to dancing in these costumes?
These costumes are much different from dancing in your traditional Ukrainian costumes. We are VERY lucky to have them. They were new to us when we did the show a few years ago. There are many pieces to it. We started off practising with smaller wings, and then when we received the actual costumes it was a whole different ball game. We do often practise with the wings, but now that we have it down we try to wear them only for performances or if we have trouble working through something. It was interesting trying to adapt some of our steps, moves, and lifts with the wings on since it’s a costume piece we don’t normally wear.
While this is one challenge, there are probably many that you come across when preparing for this size of a show. What are some other challenges you have faced while either preparing for this show or as a Shumka dancer in general?
This show was originally supposed to go on tour in April 2020, but COVID put a stop to that as it did for many other people. We continued to rehearse online with a little bit shorter rehearsals. The show was almost done when we went online, but some people left and new people came in, so we had to recast everything. Now we are ready and are so excited to show people what we have been working on! We’re really excited to be back in Winnipeg because we were last here in February 2014.
What is it like to finally be able to be on stage again after a pause in performances during the pandemic?
Photo: Ryan Parker Photography
We were also lucky enough to put on Nutcracker in Edmonton just this past December. We rehearsed a lot of that online and when we came back to the studio, we were able to put it all together quickly and get it on stage. It’s really neat to share these things with the audience because we know not everyone has had that many opportunities to perform. We hope that people get excited about dancing again and about going to the theatre so we can continue sharing this art.
In addition to performing again after a break due to the pandemic, you’re also coming back to the stage while Ukraine is in a full-scale war. What has it meant to you to dance and be touring this production during this war?
I guess it’s exciting to be able to come back and do this after COVID, but on top of that with the war, we think it is now more than ever important to share our art and culture with everyone. To be able to dance here, we don’t feel it is selfish but a moment to share with everyone how wonderful Ukraine is and how beautiful the culture is.
Do you have any advice you would like to share with Ukrainian dancers?
Keep doing what you’re doing and listen to your teachers. I remember everything that my teacher ever taught me. I had one teacher in Winnipeg when I danced with Zoloto Ukrainian Dance Ensemble & Company, Keris, and I still remember everything she told me. Your teachers want you to be good and want you to keep going. They are there to support you, so work hard and keep going. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. If you’re lucky enough to meet people and find your way, you can end up doing what we do with Shumka.
Is there anything else you want to add?
I’m just really excited to be dancing in Winnipeg because I am from here. I remember when Shumka was here last I sat in the audience, hoping to maybe do that one day. I didn’t know it would be this many years later, but it is, and I’m really happy to finally show my family, friends, and people that I danced with here in Winnipeg what we do. And to show my Shumka family this wonderful city, Winnipeg, and the crowd that I know will be great!
Les Sereda
Les during Shumka’s technical rehearsal in Winnipeg (May 2022).
We also talked with Les Sereda, the senior creative director with Shumka. He has been involved with the organization for decades, first as a dancer and then on the artistic team. He is also the owner of Blue Toque Productions.
Can you tell us about the show Shumka is touring right now and how the two halves are different?
There’s a wide variety of material in this show. Act l is a piece called Mosquito’s Wedding, and it’s a Shumka storyline as some might expect from past years of the company. The story is about a mosquito and fly that get married and the troubles that ensue post-marriage. We’ve given it a little bit of a twist and modern theme to give it a more contemporary message.
We open Act ll with a film that celebrates 130 years of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. We follow that up with a piece called My Yeh, which is a short girls piece that was a late add to the show. It was originally choreographed in 2014 when the war first broke out in Eastern Ukraine. It’s a bit of a statement about the war, and it’s written around the music from “Sche Ne Vmerla” (Ukraine’s national anthem).
We complete the act with a new piece called Echoes of Hopak. It’s the journey through the emotions that make up a Hopak, essentially. We have all of these emotions of joy, pride, passion, and all of these things that make up a Hopak. We go through this journey of a series of dances that reflect all of these emotions, and without all of these emotions a good Hopak doesn’t happen. It’s much more of a stripped away piece with just the company dancing on stage, while Mosquito’s Wedding is full of sets, colour, life, and busyness.
And today we were told that you aren’t just going to be in the backstage area, but that you’ll also be performing in Mosquito’s Wedding! Tell us a bit about the character you’re playing.
That was a late addition to the show as well! Unfortunately, one of our dancers got injured, and due to the late nature of his injury I’m stepping in. The character is an old man, or a tato, the mosquito’s father, so I think I can pull this one off. I certainly can’t dance like these kids can anymore!
“If we can reach that message beyond the Ukrainian community and say, ‘We’re still here, dammit, and we’re proud of that.’ And if that resonates with a few people out there, then we have done our job.”
During the dancer workshop, we had a chance to see backstage, including the sets being built. That was just a little glimpse into some of the work that goes into putting on this scale of production. Can you share with us how a show like this comes together?
There are so many people involved with putting a show like this together — composers, set designers, costume designers, and more. We’ve recorded both acts with a 50-person orchestra in Ukraine. Both of the major pieces in the show had years of development before they hit the stage. I am incredibly lucky, and Shumka is incredibly lucky, to work with some amazingly talented people in Ukraine like set designer Andriy Shoost and costume designer Anna Ipatieva. We’re just so lucky that these people continue to want to work with Shumka and bring their talents. There are so many people, so many hands, and so much effort that happens outside the studio. In the studio there are 50-some dancers that continue to work — we spent two years on Zoom like everyone else — to make the show happen. It’s very humbling to see so many people come together in an effort to produce something like this.
That’s something we were reflecting on after the Whirlwind Workshop. Seeing a behind-the-scenes look at the show reminded us about all of the people who are involved in a production of this size. This scale of a show is not often put on by groups in the Ukrainian community, and we wanted to highlight the immense amount of work that is required behind the scenes to produce the final picture.
And we put on a different show than many Ukrainian dance companies. We do quite a bit of production around the work we do — we use sets, different projections, and elements in our show — and that requires an effort from many hands and many people coming together. I’m really proud of it. I think it’s a tribute to the Ukrainian community, and I hope the community enjoys it. It’s been many years since we have been in Winnipeg, so we’re super excited to be back and able to perform here once again!
Heroyam Slava! Glory to the Heroes! Shumka’s technical rehearsal in Winnipeg (May 2022).
This tour was planned before the full-scale invasion happened. How did the Shumka team acknowledge this and approach the dancers when this escalated in February? How do you prepare the dancers to perform in times of war?
It’s not an easy question. There was a lot of discomfort — that’s not the right word. There was a lot of concern about taking the stage again. Let’s face it, a lot of what we do as Ukrainian dancers is portraying happy Ukrainians, and there was some concern about if that is the right message to be sending right now.
In the end we decided, yeah it is. The fact is that we’re still here, we’re proud of this culture, we believe in this culture, and this is an independent country with a unique culture. This is NOT russia or russians — these are different people. If we can do our one small part of continuing to share that message with the public, hopefully reaching beyond the Ukrainian community because obviously the Ukrainian community knows that and believes that. But if we can reach that message beyond the Ukrainian community and say, “We’re still here, dammit, and we’re proud of that.” And if that resonates with a few people out there, then we have done our job. It’s not easy under the circumstances. Many of us have friends and family over there who we’re worried and concerned about obviously. It’s a challenge but something we take very seriously as well. We take great pride in representing the Ukrainian community.
It’s definitely a challenging time for everyone. We do appreciate that you still went ahead with doing your tour because it’s so important for people to learn about and see Ukrainian culture as the war is ongoing.
“It’s good for my soul to be creative. I’m also driven by the fact that this organization wants to continue to push boundaries of what is Ukrainian dance.”
You have been part of Shumka for quite some time, as a dancer and then on the creative team. What keeps you motivated to keep going?
I’ve been around the company for 30 years now. I danced for just under a decade. I was involved with quite a bit of technical production, and I have a film and video background so I lent some of those services over the years. I slowly grew into this artistic position three years ago.
Personally, I enjoy being creative — I’m driven by that and it’s good for my soul to be creative. I’m also driven by the fact that this organization wants to continue to push boundaries of what is Ukrainian dance, and that’s challenging but that’s one of the reasons we love it. We want to try new things, and we want to continue to evolve it.
We firmly believe we are a Canadian dance company as well and want to represent 130 years of history in this country. We’re always looking for ways to continue to tell those stories. That’s interesting for me. It’s interesting for me to find what makes us Canadian and what makes us Ukrainian and try to put those together on stage in a way that shares both of those dual streams of those cultures. That’s what keeps me coming back.
Is there anything else you would like to add about the tour, the themes of the show, about Ukrainian dance, or about Shumka?
Most of the show was developed before the war started, and yet if you take Mosquito’s Wedding, for example, it’s really built around themes of peace and love. It’s funny how those themes seem more important today than they did when we started to work on the piece. I hope the the work resonates. We’re continuing on our tour — Saskatoon is coming up, and then Regina. We’ll take a break and then head east in the fall to Mississauga, then back for shows in Calgary, and wrapping up in Victoria. I just hope that we are able to continue to connect with our audiences and continue to share our message and vision of Ukrainian-Canadian dance.
Thanks to Caitlin and Les for talking with us and giving our audience a bit of some background information about Shumka and their current tour.
If Shumka hasn’t visited your city yet, please go and check out the show! If they’ve already been to your city and you missed it, sounds like it’s time for a road trip! And when you are sitting in the audience, take a moment to think about all the people behind the scenes who helped bring the show to life in addition to the dancers.
Head to Shumka’s website to find out when the company will perform in a city near you, and follow Shumka on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for photos and updates about the company’s performances.
During these heavy times for Ukraine and Ukrainians, seeing a show like Shumka’s is really a beautiful way to celebrate Ukrainian culture through dance and to continue celebrating the country and the people.
Slava Ukraini!