Our History
Selkirk & District Ukrainian Dance School Inc was formed in 1971 under the leadership of the late Mary Slogan. There were just 34 students and 3 instructors who practiced out of Holy Eucharist Hall in Selkirk.
In 1979, from Selkirk & District Ukrainian Dance School Inc, a senior group evolved and later became their own organization. They are known as Troyanda, meaning "rose". This group performs publicly and has traveled extensively including:
‐ Disney world
‐ New York
‐ Ukraine
- Croatia
- Vegreville, Alberta
In 1985, Junior Troyanda was formed within our school. This group was later named Fialka meaning "violet". Fialka dancers are ages 14 through 18. This group has perfomed locally within our province including various Malankas, Festivals and Competitions as well as Folklorama. They have also traveled to Edmonton, the United States and had the honour of performing in Orlando, Florida at Magic Kingdom.
Our school and our dancers continue to seek the opportunities to perform outside their regular events. The opportunity to perform and travel is a wonderful experience for our dancers that creates lasting memories of their youth.
With the celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the school in 2007, Selkirk & District underwent a name change to Selkirk Zorya Ukrainian School of Dance.
In 2013, Selkirk Zorya Ukrainian School of Dance decided to change our name back to Selkirk & District Ukrainian Dance School to celebrate the history and founders of our school.
Today, we strive to continue the preservation of Ukrainian culture through dance, music, costuming and storytelling while maintaining an element of fun in our classes. It is our hope to inspire our students to love Ukrainian culture.
Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Ensemble
Established in 1979, Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Ensemble is proud to call Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada their home. Troyanda, meaning rose, operates under the objective to preserve and promote Ukrainian culture through the art of Ukrainian dance. The group of young, talented performers has grown to be one of Canada’s most vibrant and energetic Ukrainian Dance Ensembles.
Troyanda has amazed audiences worldwide with their performances and obvious passion for the performing art of Ukrainian dance. Currently under the artistic direction of Mr. Paul Doroniuk, along with Creative Director Mrs. Jenn Doroniuk, Troyanda continues to perfect their art and inspire audiences of all kinds. The artistic team provides the Ensemble with top-notch instruction and expertise of Ukrainian dance. Under their direction, the dancers have developed a sense of determination, loyalty, and pride of their culture and tradition which shines through as their rich spirit and energy onstage.
Our school is partners with Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. Troyanda provides our dancers with many opportunities to learn Troyanda choreography, to perform at events alongside the Troyanda dancers and to learn more about Ukrainian culture. Many Troyanda dancers are also instructors in our school. After training in our school dancers are prepared to move onto Troyanda if they choose. Having this continually growing relationship has been a tremendous asset to our dancers as they look to move forward with their journey through dance. Troyanda is continually present within our school and through this relationship our goal is to inspire our dancers to be lifelong lovers of Ukrainian dance and culture.
