(Prince Albert Barveenok Ukrainian Dance/Facebook)

By Derek Craddock

BARVEENOK DANCERS

Barveenok Dancers to hold critical fundraiser in June

May 30, 2022 | 8:00 AM

Another big event is coming for the Barveenok Ukrainian dancers, but this one has a deeper meaning than past events.

Barveenok 911 is taking place on June 11 at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre. It will feature a showcase of some of the city’s best Ukrainian dancers and plenty of food.

President of the club Kayleigh Skomorowski said it’s the first time in nearly three years they’ve been able to hold an in-person festival like this.

“We have done a Harvest Festival in past years and usually have our own dance festival in the spring. The pandemic has not allowed us to do any of those things for the past two and a half years so this is kind of a one-off as an attempt to try and recoup some of the costs so that we can actually function next year.”

So far, she said the preparations have gone well, despite having fewer people as part of their club.

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“With the loss of all those performances, opportunities, and all the wonderful things that make people want to come and dance. We’ve also had a loss of membership which means less hands on deck and stuff like that, so we’ve got a smaller crew but very dedicated and hardworking crew so we’ve just been tackling it head-on and things are falling into place and we’re feeling pretty confident in our progress to make it all happen.”

Described as a Ukrainian circus because of the number of activities taking place, Skomorowski said they will start with an afternoon drive-thru perogy supper beginning at noon. The supper will include a perogy platter and Kielbasa sausage at a cost of $17.

The evening showcase, which is a separate cost of $25, features Prince Albert dancers along with an ensemble from Saskatoon.

“So, we will have the showcase of dancing and then Ukraine canteen available that evening so people can just continue doing all of that. Ukrainian food and the live band and a dance after the showcase,” said Skomorowski.

Now aside from the dancing, the food, the entertainment, and all the fun at the event, Skomorowski pointed out how critical this fundraiser is to the survival of the Barveenok Dancers.

“This one is kind of like a do or die for us as an organization because we’ve had such a loss in the last two and half years. We were really faced with ‘can we even continue as an organization?’ Even though it’s ‘come for the perogies, come for the fun and come see some dancing,’ we also really want to spread the message to the community that if you want to see this organization survive and thrive and still be here for other generations of dancers now is kind of the time to act because we’re kind of at that turning point.”

Tickets are available online as well as Canadian Tire, Fresh Air Experience, and Alma’s Boutique.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @pa_craddock