ST. PAUL – The St. Paul Desna Ukrainian Dance Club presented its 31st annual Desna Ukrainian Dance Festival on March 15. Dancers showcased various cultural dances from different regions of Ukraine.
Erin Haugen, coordinator of the dance festival, said eight dance clubs participated, including clubs from Athabasca, Fort McMurray, Innisfree, Bonnyville, Myrnam, Vilna, and Edmonton. Over 140 dance entries were performed throughout the day.
Dancers were evaluated by Christine Biss from Calgary, who is a member of the faculty of Tryzub School of Ukrainian Dance.
Haugen explained the dancers were evaluated and given medals based on their individual performances. It's a competition "in the sense that every dance on the stage in a category could potentially receive a gold medal," she said. There is no first, second, or third.
"We are doing this to promote the culture of Ukrainian dance and our love of Ukrainian dance," she said. The Ffstival brings dancers from across Alberta together to celebrate their culture.
