March 24, 2005 -

OTTAWA -- The Edmonton-based Ukrainian Shumka Dancers bring unstoppable energy and brio to their production of Cinderella at Centrepointe Theatre on Sunday, May 8, 2005. This will undoubtedly be a highlight of the National Arts Centre’s 13-day Alberta Scene festival. The Scene runs from April 28 to May 10, 2005 and features more than 600 Alberta artists on the stages of the NAC and at multiple venues throughout the national capital region. Tickets for Cinderella are $38 and $35 for adults and $20 for youths aged 17 and under. Tickets are available at the NAC box office, the Centrepointe Theatre box office, at www.albertascene.ca or by calling Ticketmaster at (613) 755-1111.

The Ukrainian Shumka Dancers bring this unique Ukrainian Canadian art form to enthusiastic audiences across Canada and around the world. Initially formed in 1959 to preserve Ukrainian culture through dance, the group created a mandate to develop the art form as well. Shumka's art is not a museum piece -- it is a living, breathing and evolving art form that has been heavily influenced by its Canadian roots.

“One doesn't just watch the Shumka Dancers -- they are absolutely thrilling to experience. Their dash and vigour, their number and harmony, their sheer joy of dance… make them unquestionably unique.”

The 55-member Ukrainian Shumka Dancers, under Artistic Director Gordon Gordey, will thrill audiences with the unique combination of their signature whirlwind style and the magical world of Cinderella. Shumka’s Cinderella is a stunningly visual show with elaborate sets and hundreds of costumes designed by Maria Levitska. The captivating choreography by former Artistic Director John Pichlyk, in collaboration with the Artistic Director of the Kyiv Ballet, Victor Lytvynov, is set to a lush symphonic score (which blends Ukrainian folk instruments with a classical sound) by Ukrainian composer Yuri Shevchenko. During Cinderella, the dancers perform a total of 50 character roles and make more than 384 costume changes during a single show.

“Every one of the dancers is a virtuoso. (Shumka’s) $2 million remake of the fairy-tale classic is a megadance spectacle that promises to do for Ukrainian folk dance what Riverdance did for Irish stepping: catapult it into the big time… As they say on the Great White Way, this baby's got legs.”

“…flawlessly and enthusiastically executed... an almost impossibly extravagant pageant of costumes and sets... as effective as ballet for telling stories, and the colourful folk influences gave the production an enchanting picture-book quality.”

“The Shumka dancers presented this wonderful fairy tale so beautifully and with such style. The sets were awesome with (Maria Levitska's) original style shining through. The costumes were exceptionally colourful and stunning, making the stage even more remarkable. Most impressive!”

“An evening of breathtaking dance and spectacle. The Ukrainian Shumka Dancers, with this production, move into the major leagues of dance in Canada.”

“Shumka is a genuine phenomenon. And Cinderella, Shumka-style, is an invigorating flourish of pure dance and colour... A folk-tale with true folk sensibility and design, it's a production that heralds yet another new artistic accomplishment for Edmonton's acclaimed Shumka Dancers.”

Ukrainian culture abounds with heroes and heroines, with magical spirits, with folk traditions of Princes and Princesses, and with romanticism. Marrying the poetry of traditional Ukrainian folk dance with elements of ballet and contemporary movement, the company’s highly theatrical style is recognized as being uniquely Shumka.

Shumka believes that folk dance is a natural way to tell this classic story, and audiences leave the theatre smiling, having enthusiastically entered the folktale’s fantasy world. The familiar elements are there: the mischievous stepsisters, the grand ball, the search for happiness and love, and, of course, a caring spirit who, like the Fairy Godmother, helps Cinderella find happiness. However, there are surprises as well, ensuring Shumka’s audiences of a delightful artistic treat.

Shumka’s original, full-length production of Cinderella has been an unprecedented success, enjoyed by tens of thousands of audience members at home and abroad. Standing ovations and rave reviews follow each show no matter where the dancers perform. New York tap dance legend Gregory Hines was in the audience at Toronto’s Hummingbird Centre in 2000 and was so overwhelmed with enthusiasm and respect for the dancers, he met them backstage after the show and said, “... it was higher than my expectations. I've never seen anything like it. I will see you again... I will find you.”

For more information about Shumka, visit their website at www.shumka.com

Alberta Scene is presented by EPCOR and supported by Major Sponsors TSX Venture Exchange and The Banff Centre, Performance Sponsors Enbridge, CIBC and Suncor Energy, Sponsors Edmonton Festival City, Galaxie, Holiday Inn, CD Warehouse, mymusic.ca and Big Rock Brewery. Media sponsors include CBC Radio-Canada, National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Le Droit, Edmonton Journal, the Calgary Herald and Y101. Alberta Scene is grateful for support from the Government of Canada, Government of Alberta, Canada Council for the Arts, Western Economic Diversification Canada, Foreign Affairs Canada, as well as the National Arts Centre Friends - Alberta. For more on Alberta Scene, please visit: www.albertascene.ca

Information:
Gerald Morris
Marketing and Media Relations,
NAC Dance Department
(613) 947-7000, ext. 249
gmorris@nac-cna.ca