One of Canada's top Ukrainian dance companies will be in North Battleford Sunday, Oct. 5 for a performance at the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts.
The Edmonton-based dance troupe Volya is celebrating its 25th anniversary with its largest and most spectacular show since Grassroots seven years ago, 25 Years of Volya: The Freedom Lives On. Special guests are the Dnipro Academic Ukrainian Folk Music Ensemble from Kyiv, Ukraine, who will accompany the dancers throughout the performance.
Volya will perform family matinees in Saskatoon Oct. 4 and in North Battleford Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. Tickets are available through the Dekker Centre box office.
The first half of 25 Years of Volya depicts some of the traditional celebrations and historical aspects of Ukrainian culture, while the second half explores a more modern Ukraine and includes dances not commonly seen, such as Kubanskiy Kozachok and Black Sea Kozaks. Both halves feature all original choreography by artistic director Zhenia Bahri, some of it never seen on stage before.
"It is very exciting to be producing such a large show here at home," says Bahri. "It will be great to have local audiences see the amazing talent in Volya. The dancers have been working very hard to bring it all together."
Volya has spent the last 11 summer seasons touring to festivals and events around the world, representing Edmonton and Canada on an international stage.
"It is an honour to be part of Volya during its 25th anniversary year," says Olesia Markevych,
Volya's president. "We highly respect the history of how Volya came to be-formed by a small group of dancers committed to technical excellence and creative freedom-and we continue to centre our dancing around those things."
