the svitanok ukrainian dance society
Helenka Zemanek
ChairHelenka is a graduate of the Ottawa School of Ukrainian Dance and a longtime Svitanok Ensemble dancer. She also danced with the Troyanda Ensemble in Montreal when she was attending Concordia University. Helenka has served on Svitanok's Board of Directors since 2016. She greatly appreciates the opportunity to give back to the organization that has brought so much joy to her life over the years.
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Khrystyna Levus
Co-TreasurerKhrystyna has a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Audit from Lviv National Agrarian University. Since moving to Canada in 2017, she has been involved in the Ukrainian community in Ottawa and in L’Anse-Au-Loup, Labrador, where she lived for two years. Khrystyna is a Branch Manager at Ukrainian Credit Union and Secretary for the Ukrainian National Federation Ottawa-Gatineau Branch. As Svitanok co-treasurer, she enjoys working behind the scenes to support the Society as much as she can.
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Roman Sokil
Co-TreasurerRoman is originally from Ukraine, where he earned a Master's degree in economics. After moving to Canada, he completed the finance program at Algonquin College. Roman currently works in finance for the City of Ottawa. He got involved with the Svitanok Society because he wanted to support the development of Ukrainian-Canadian culture. As co-treasurer, he ensures the financial stability and sustainability of the organization.
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Erin Ewing
SecretaryErin was introduced to Ukrainian dance through the Podorozh! Adult class at the Ottawa School of Ukrainian Dance. After a year with the School, she was interested in further pursuing Ukrainian dance, as her experience was incredibly enriching. Building on several years of ballet training at The School of Dance in Ottawa, a love of learning, and a passion for dance, Erin became a member of the Svitanok Ensemble in 2019. Erin holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Ottawa and is a Senior Biologist with Health Canada. She is thankful for the opportunity to be able to use her skills to support the organization.
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Lisa Ingimundarson
Wardrobe DirectorLisa is a graduate of The Ottawa School of Ukrainian Dance and an original member of the Svitanok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. During her 25 years of dance performance, she was also a member of the Dnipro Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and the Mamai Ukrainian Kozak Entertainers. Her commitment to Ukrainian dance includes over 30 years of teaching OSUD students as well as leading Svitanok ensemble warmups. Lisa works as a Physiotherpist for the Department of National Defence specializing in orthopaedic rehabilitation of the high performance, tactical athlete. As Svitanok's Wardrobe Director, she enjoys the opportunity to connect her Ukrainian dance experience with her enthusiasm for crafting and sewing!
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Kateryna Shepertycka
Svitanok Ensemble Artistic DirectorFounder of the Ottawa School of Ukrainian Dance (1979) and co-founder of the Svitanok Ensemble (1991), Kateryna studied classical, character, and Ukrainian dance in Ottawa, in Saskatoon at the Saskatchewan School for the Arts, and as a full-time student at the Institute of Culture in Kyiv, Ukraine.
A leading performer with Ottawa's Dnipro and Svitanok Ensembles for 28 years, Kateryna has mounted her original choreography on various ensembles and collectives in Canada, including Svitanok. |
Maria Shepertycki
OSUD Artistic DirectorMaria is co-founder of the Svitanok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and performed with both the Dnipro Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and Svitanok from 1979-1994. She has remained involved in Ottawa’s dance community as the Ottawa School of Ukrainian Dance Artistic Director and one of the Svitanok Ensemble's choreographers and rehearsal teachers. Maria continues to work as a Physiotherapy Assistant in clinical and community settings. She designed and continues to develop and teach the creative movement programme for seniors with mobility challenges and people with Parkinson’s offered by The School of Dance.
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