AnnaLee Parnetta, the founder of the Sadok Ukrainian Dance School, has returned to the school as its instructor for the 2017-2018 dance year.
Parnetta began Sadok in 2004 after noticing a need for dance in the community, said information from Sadok. In its first year the club had a total of 15 dancers, both children and adults.
Over the years the club has had enrollment as many as 30 children and 16 adult dancers, the information said. Sadok Ukrainian Dance Club, which is now entering its 14th year, is operated by the parents of the dancers with an elected board and the club has been fortunate for the past seven years to have had a variety of experienced local area instructors travel into the community to continue the tradition of Ukrainian dance.
Parnetta began her dance career at the age of six with Yorkton Kalyna Dance School.聽 After graduating from high school she continued to Ukrainian dance and was fortunate to dance and perform with St. Andrews College Dancers of Winnipeg, Canada鈥檚 National Riding Cossacks and Company of Dauphin, and Tavria Ukrainian Folk Dance Ensemble of Regina.
Over the years she also attended various dancer and instructor workshops in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and Ukraine. Her greatest performance accomplishment was in 2000 when she travelled with Tavria to the homeland of her maternal great-grandparents to perform for audiences in Ukraine.
In 2004 Parnetta began Sadok Ukrainian Dance Club in Kamsack and administered the club activities and instructed the students until the spring of 2010, it said. During her time teaching in Kamsack she also taught Ukrainian dance in Swan River with the Dolyna Dance Club from 2004 until 2007. In 2010 she returned to Swan River to instruct the Swan River Dolyna Adult Ukrainian dancers with whom she also performed with until 2015 and continues to provide choreography workshops annually for the dancers.
During the 2016-17 dance year Parnetta was an instructor with Yorkton Kalyna Dance School.
Along with dance, Parnetta takes interest in other Ukrainian traditions including language, music, food and costuming. She has travelled to Ukraine twice with her second trip 小蓝视频 part of a university scholarship where she focused on the traditional uses of Ukrainian textiles within the home. She is also passionate about authentic costuming and how it translates into well represented costumes on stage. She has been sewing Ukrainian dance costumes since 1996 and has handmade a variety of regional costumes which she has worn on stage as a dancer.
She currently provides seamstress support and costume consultation to Tavria Ukrainian Folk Dance Ensemble in Regina and Kalyna Dance School in Yorkton.
Along with teaching Ukrainian dance to children ages three and up, Parnetta said she is excited to 小蓝视频 able to re-introduce the very popular adult Ukrainian dance class into the club schedule.
鈥淯krainian dance is a very active dance form and anyone can join,鈥� Parnetta said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be Ukrainian to participate.鈥�
Practices for children dancers will be held on Thursday evenings beginning September 14 and adult classes will begin October 12.
Sadok will have registration forms, rehearsal times and more information available at the community-wide registration night on September 14. 聽
