By Katherine Svenkeson

Ukrainian dancing taking over the Dekker Centre

Apr 2, 2017 | 8:00 AM

There will be a full weekend of Ukrainian culture coming to the Dekker Centre next week.

The annual Svoboda Ukrainian Dance Festival will be held in the Battlefords again, from April 7-9, hosted by the local Svoboda dance group. 

Stacey Sieben, president of Svoboda, said the festival is a way for the community of dancers to come together and show off their skills.

“We have instructors and dance groups that come from Manitoba, Alberta and all around Saskatchewan,” Sieben said, “It’s so exciting see all of their tricks and spins and techniques that they have been working towards all through the year.”

The weekend will be packed full of dancing with 25 schools and private instruction groups coming to perform, which Sieben said is quite a few more than usual. The dancers will range from three years old to 18.

ACAC bound

North Stars' Medernach talks commitment to NAIT Ooks

10h ago

Rustlers Volleyball

Crusaders' Bell excited for next chapter with Lakeland College

Apr 24, 2024

Nothing but Net

Vikings' standouts ready for national stage with Team Saskatchewan

Apr 24, 2024

The variety within the festival is something Sieben said is quite am amazing to watch.

“You’re going to see many different regions from Ukraine be performed so there’s many different footsteps, intricate footsteps, intricate costumes, different embroidery,” she said.

There is cultural variety within the dancers themselves as well, Sieben said.

“There is a very decent, very strong Ukrainian community in our community of North Battleford but I find that even without the Ukrainian heritage the Ukrainian dances are really loved and smiled upon,” she said. “I find that we have a lot of dancers in our dance group that don’t have Ukrainian descent at all so they just love the dance and are just attracted to it.”

Besides the dancing, one of the biggest draws for the event is the food.

“You can’t come to a Ukrainian dance competition and not enjoy the Ukrainian food,” Sieben said. “There’s going to be borscht, perogies, cabbage rolls, kubasa (which is Ukrainian sausage) and lots of snacks and drinks for the families so it’s nothing less than delicious.”

Tickets for the event are available through the Dekker Centre and at the doors the weekend of the event.

katherinesvenkeson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ksvenkeson