Ukrainian Shumka Dancers: Tradition in Motion

Susan Free is a movement analyst, teacher, and freelance writer in
Toronto.

Although it has the color and gloss of a coffee-table book, Ukrainian
Shumka Dancers is also a good source of information about this popular
Edmonton-based dance company. It is the sort of book one might buy in a
theatre lobby: photographs of the dancers in full flight all but swamp
the text. Yet detailed sections on the history, folk lore, and
stagecraft of the company’s dances provide an interesting look at
Ukrainian-Canadian culture.

Produced by the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers Alumni Association, the book
is written with an insider’s enthusiasm, pride, and bias. Indeed, it
is inspiring to read about this group of committed amateur dancers,
whose performances were recently acclaimed in the Ukrainian homeland.
Unfortunately, the author’s attempt to cover the culture, history,
politics, and personalities both of the company and of Ukrainians in
Canada has resulted in a disorganized, and sometimes confusing,
overabundance of information.

Most readers will be content to enjoy the many photographs, however,
and those readers with an active interest in Ukrainian-Canadian culture
or folk dance will easily overlook the book’s lack of clarity, for
there is much of interest in its pages.