Ukrainian dance school in Sandy Lake offering free trial lessons

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This article was published 14/09/2023 (798 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Ukrainian dance school in Westman is offering the opportunity for curious dancers to try out four free sessions to make sure they enjoy the activity before committing to a full year of lessons.

The Shevchenko Dance Ensemble, a dance group that celebrates Ukrainian culture and dance in Sandy Lake, Man., located 96 kilometres northwest of Brandon, has been running in the area for almost 50 years.

Tanya Lewandoski-Duncan, who danced with the school when she was younger and whose daughters both did as well, is now the president of the dance school, following in the footsteps of her mother.

“All along, my mum stayed involved with the club, even when my sister and I weren’t dancing. She was on the costume committee,” Lewandoski-Duncan told the Sun. “She always had a connection to it, so when I joined on there, it was kind of like going back home, because she was so highly involved.”

The dance troupe is highly celebrated in the Sandy Lake, a small farming community located in the Rural Municipality of Harrison Park. The area has deep Ukrainian roots and ties to Ukrainian culture, due to the waves of immigrants that came to the area from Ukraine as early as 1897.

A study of homestead records reveals that settlements began in 1901, and by 1910, most of the available land in Sandy Lake was occupied, and what little remained was not claimed until the 1920’s, a history on the area available online says. By 1910, Ukrainian settlers were well established on their homesteads around the lake.

“Sandy Lake, predominantly, for years … was mostly Ukrainians in the area,” Lewandoski-Duncan said. “Now it’s changed a little bit.”

Still, Ukrainian culture in the community remains a point of pride and is displayed not just at the Shevchenko Dance Ensemble but at the Sandy Lake Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Museum.

“Because of that, there’s really good support for Ukrainian culture in the community,” Lewandoski-Duncan said.

And although the numbers of dancers in the ensemble has ebbed and flowed over the years — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic — there’s never usually been less than 10 dancers, a number that has even swelled to 25 in the past.

“It’s always been supported,” Lewandoski-Duncan said.

The school teaches children as young as four years old in its pre-beginner group and advances all the way up to the senior group for teenagers. This year, the dance ensemble has children ranging in ages from four to 15 years old.

“We’ve also offered, throughout the years on and off, an adult class and we’re hoping maybe this year we can try to figure out a way to get that active again,” Lewandoski-Duncan said.

In a show of support for Ukrainians at home and especially abroad in light of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the Shevchenko Dance Ensemble has put on dance fundraisers to donate money to Canadian relief organizations for Ukrainians. It’s a cause that is close not just to Lewandowski-Duncan’s heart, but to the hearts of her dancers, their families and the community in general, she said.

“I think we all agree that what’s happening over there [in Ukraine] is awful, and o sech time we go dance or do something, we do feel an extra sense of pride that’s about who we are, and who we can support.”

And while Lewandowski-Duncan isn’t aware of any Ukrainian refugee families that are currently living in Sandy Lake, a family with two little boys did spend some time in the community recently, but had to leave to pursue jobs. Shevchenko Dance Ensemble invited the family to a Ukrainian New Years’ celebration that the community celebrates each year in January, she said.

“They did come, and they did very much appreciate that the culture was still very much alive.”

Ukrainian dancing, however, isn’t just for people with Ukrainian heritage. Anyone can join in, and since many times children — and parents — have a difficult time deciding what activities to enroll in, Lewandowski-Duncan thought that offering free sessions would help with that process and relieve any potential financial burdens on families with children that might end up changing their minds.

“We know that there’s a lot of activities going on now for our young people, and I know a lot of parents would like to get their kids into something that’s more on a cultural basis, not just an activity,” she said. “But one thing we all know is that our children, unfortunately, don’t always want to do what the parents want to do, so this gives them the opportunity for them to try out a month to see if they love it.”

The free trial lessons start at the beginning of next month and will continue throughout October. Practices are on Wednesdays, and registration can be done at the group’s Facebook page.

Lewandowski-Duncan hopes that her dance ensemble will keep the Ukrainian culture that Sandy Lake is so proud of strong, while also encouraging other people to learn more about it and support Ukrainians during the current Russian aggression happening in their home country, she said.

“We encourage everyone to come, to watch, and to have fun and exercise. It’s very much a family atmosphere. We do a lot of fundraisers throughout the year that bring people together. We have a lot of laughs and good times.”

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