HISTORY

The Zorya Ukrainian dance Ensemble was established in 1997, by the initiative of 14 passionate individuals who built the foundation for our organization. The name “Zorya” was chosen because, when translated, it means “Stars”! The aspiring dancers longed to reach new heights with their skill, technique, and knowledge of Ukrainian culture and dance. Their purpose was to promote Ukrainian culture in Thunder Bay Ontario and beyond, through their love of Ukrainian dance. The founding members endeavoured to do this in a way that remained true to the traditions of Ukraine while breathing renewed spirit and life into dance in Thunder Bay. Within four years of this venture, the Zorya Ensemble grew from 14, to 60 dancers, thus in 1998, bringing alive the Zorya Ukrainian Dance Association! Since then, Zorya has had over 200 dancers come and go in the last 21 years of operation, with hopes for many more in the years to come!

During the dance group’s time of operation, the Zorya Ukrainian Dancers have loved to spread their love of culture in their home community of Thunder Bay Ontario, as well as all over the world. In Thunder Bay, the group has shared their vibrancy at many events including: various weddings of friends and family; assisted living facilities for the aged, local festivals such as Folklore Festival, and Summer in the Parks; charity events such as Children for Chernobyl; and not to forget Zorya’s Malanka celebrations, as well as Zorya’s annual year end concert.

The Zorya Ukrainian dancers do not stop at their hometown as they also fervently explore other parts of Canada, and the rest of the world. The group loves to showcase their skill through performance, but also has an interest to expand their knowledge of Ukrainian culture through the eyes of different corners of the world. The Zorya dancers have travelled to perform at many festival destinations including: “6 Flags over Texas”, Texas; “PNE”, Vancouver; “Folklorama”, Winnipeg, Manitoba; “Ukrainian Village Fest”, Chicago; “Bloor Street Ukrainian Festival”, Toronto, Ontario; “Twin Cities Heritage Festival”, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and many more!