About Us
Welcome to
Troyanda Ukrainian D​a​nce Ensemble
Troyanda, translated from Ukrainian to mean "rose", is seen by many as a symbol of love.
Yorkton Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Ensemble was registered in 1981, but has been active as a dance troupe since the 1960’s. Troyanda strives to fulfill its primary goal of providing an opportunity for our young people to express themselves through dance and to develop an appreciation for one of the most beautiful Ukrainian traditions. Under the direction of Stacie Fahlman and Eric Sliva, Troyanda offers classes to dancers of all skill levels from 3 years old to adults. We love to perform throughout Yorkton and the surrounding communities and enjoy being a vital part of Yorkton's cultural identity!
Regions studied vary among each group and may include:
Poltava, Hutzul, Volyn, Polissa, Transcarpathian, and Bukovina.
Dancing With Us
CLASSES
​Classes will start on Thursday, September 12, 2024 and run until early May.
Malenkiy (little) age 3 to 5 5:55 - 6:25 PM (Thursdays)
Kazka (fairy tale) age 6 to 7 5:40 - 6:25 PM (Thursdays)
Veselka (rainbow) age 8 to 11 4:20 - 5:35 PM (Thursdays)
Druzi (friends) age 11 to 15 4:00 - 5:50 PM (Thursdays)
Tryzub (trident) age 16 to 18* 8:00 - 10:00 PM (Thursdays)
Tropak (brisk allegro dance) age 18+* 6:30 - 8:00 PM (Thursdays)
Viter (wind) all ages 8:00 - 9:00 PM (Thursdays)
Please Note: Age categories listed per class are an average or recommended age, placement of dancers will be determined by the instructor and your class time may be adjusted following registration.
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*Placement within these groups (Tryzub and Tropak) will be decided upon based on ability, commitment and try-outs. Please see the Troyanda Constitution for further information.
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Our instructors highly recommend that dancers take ballet classes through Dance Innovations or Extravadance to support their Ukrainian Dance skills.
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CLASS FEES
Fees include the whole year of instruction and are due at the time of registration in one lump sum or
through payment arrangements made with the treasurer.
Costume rental and competition/festival fees will be invoiced later in the year.
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Malenkiy - $200 (no competitions, 1 dance)
Kazka - $280 (2 competitions, 2 dances)
Veselka - $300 (2 competitions, 2 dances)
Druzi - $350 (2-3 competitions, 3 dances)
Tryzub - $380 (2-3 competitions, 5 dances)
Tropak - $350 (2-3 competitions, dances TBD)
Viter - $280 (competitions & dances by request)
Note: Number of competitions and dances subject to change.
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COSTUME and COMPETITION FEES
These fees will be invoiced in the later part of the dance season and will vary per group based on the number of dances and competitions the dancer is participating in.
If you would like a rough idea of how much this would cost for your dancer, please contact us.
Some groups performing the Poltava region may be required to have a Poltava shirt (boys & girls) and a red-beaded necklace (girls). After the dance season has begun, the costume coordinators will be in touch with your group to let you know which costume pieces you will need to purchase, and which ones you will rent from the club.
FUNDRAISING
Troyanda will hold a Malanka event (New Year's) in January to raise funds and all families are REQUIRED to volunteer to make the event a success. Other fundraisers may be held as needed however selling-type fundraising with Troyanda is not required.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Any dancer with 5 or more absences throughout the 30+ weeks of classes will be subject to evaluation by the instructor in order to determine if they will be eligible to participate in competition.
DANCE ATTIRE AND FOOTWEAR
For girls: We request bodysuits and leotards or fitted athletic/dance wear; hair must be in a ballet bun; black ballet slippers (Malenkiy/Kazka) or black jazz shoes (Kazka and up); shoes for girls in Tryzub and up will be decided in class as shoes are decided on by dance regions.
NOTE: Additional shoes may be required based on dance regions and costumes.
For boys: We request fitted t-shirts and sweat/jazz pants or shorts; black jazz shoes for all groups and when dancing in Tryzub boys will require red boots. No baggy clothing please.
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Often previously-owned shoes and dancewear can be purchased. Families are encouraged to check out the "Yorkton and Area Used and New Dancewear" group on Facebook or with other club families.
PARENT/GUARDIAN VIEWING
It is the club policy that parents/guardians and siblings do not remain in the dance studio during dance classes, as it is distracting for the dancers. Two different parent viewing dates will be held throughout the year so you are able to observe your child’s class.
ROLE OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS
Parents/guardians are encouraged to serve board positions or as members at large and to assist with ongoing club activities, decisions and fundraisers. Please remember, Troyanda is a parent-run organization. Without parent/guardian help, there is no club. Anyone interested in helping but who might be unsure about taking a Board position is encouraged to volunteer as a contact parent for their group. It is a great position to learn the ins and outs of how our club works.
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COMMUNICATION
Parents are will be asked to join a group messenger app (platform TBD) for on-going club information.
meet our
Instructors
Stacie started dancing with Yorkton Kalyna Dance School in 1994. In 2010 upon returning from achieving her Civil Engineering Technology diploma in Alberta, she joined Troyanda’s adult group, Zabava, as the youngest member of the group. While continuing to dance with Zabava, Stacie was invited to try out for Bratstva Studios’ semi-professional performance group based out of Dauphin, MB. Troyanda created Tropak, a new young adult group in 2013, which Stacie still dances with to this day. With Bratstva and Tropak, Stacie took part in multiple performances, including the main stage at Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival and at Mosaic – A Festival of Cultures. Stacie also danced and performed throughout both of her pregnancies, including competing at festival ten days before having her son. While dancing with Troyanda and Bratstva, Stacie began to help the new members with choreography, would take the lead when the instructor was away, and ran extra practices when needed. She began teaching dance students from two-years old to adults in Springside in 2015 and has taught at multiple clubs since then. Stacie began instructing at Troyanda in 2019 and looks forward to many years to come! Stacie completed the instructor intensive workshop for the UCC SaskTanets 2018 Summer Ukrainian Dance Program. Over the past seven years Stacie has held multiple positions on the Troyanda board as well, she also became president of the club from 2020 to 2022, her daughter joined the club in 2017 and her son in 2019. Those who know her know how passionate and dedicated she is to Ukrainian dance, culture, instructing and Troyanda! Stacie is very VERY excited and looking forward to a fantastic year for our children and club!
Stacie Fahlman
Stacie Fahlman
Eric Sliva
Eric Sliva
Eric began dancing at the age of 5 and grew up training and dancing with Troyanda. He has taught at Troyanda in the past and came back last and this year as an instructor! Eric was a lead soloist with Dauphin’s National Ukrainian Riding and Dancing Cossacks in Dauphin, MB from 2004-2005. In 2016, he attended the “1-2-5 Ukrainian Dance Workshop” in Saskatoon. In 2016, Eric attended UDIC (Ukrainian Dance Instructor Workshop) near Edmonton, and the Shumka Syllabus Instructor Workshop – Tier I in Edmonton. In 2022 he completed the Shumka Syllabus Instructor Workshop - Tier II in Edmonton. Eric has taught various Ukrainian dance clubs in the Parkland area for over 11 years for students ranging from three years old to adults. He is looking forward to sharing his knowledge and choreography skills with the club again this year!
Karen Sarafincian (on sabbatical for 2024-25 season)
Karen began dancing at age 5, taking ballet, tap, jazz and Ukrainian dance, later adding lyrical and hip hop to her training. She danced for 14 years with the Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, worked as a student instructor and class assistant and in 2014 was a guest instructor at Troyanda’s Ukrainian Summer Dance Camp. She studied The Royal Academy of Dance ballet syllabus where she received marks of Distinction or Highly Commended in all examinations, trained in ADAPT jazz and tap syllabus and was a competitive dancer at Dance Innovations. Besides dance, Karen studied and took piano and musical theory examinations from the Royal Conservatory of Music through to grade 8.
Karen is a certified ADAPT instructor completing her Gold Seal Certification and Acrobatic Dance Teachers Association junior levels in the Greater Toronto Area and Progressing Ballet Techniques Certification in Calgary. Karen has taught and choreographed a diverse range of styles including Ukainian, ballet, jazz, tap, acro, lyrical, hip hop and strengthening classes at studios ranging from small communities in Saskatchewan to large high demand studios in large centres. Most recently she taught in Calgary as a jazz and ballet exam/technique teacher putting dancers through ADAPT jazz and RAD ballet examinations.
Throughout her career, Karen continued to take dance classes whenever possible including styles of West African, Bollywood and Jazz Funk to broaden her knowledge and cross train technique.
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Karen is a 200 hour certified yoga instructor, has 100 + more hours of yoga training, has 2 comprehensive barre instructor trainings, studied mat pilates and taught at several barre and yoga studios throughout Saskatchewan and Alberta. Karen incorporates this knowledge of anatomy, body function, injury prevention and strength training into her dance classes to give students comprehensive training and knowledge.
