In 1987 the Kryla Ukrainian Dancers decided that it would be good for the club to expand into other regions of staged Ukrainian dance. With this in mind the club, under Yvette Shostak (the president at the time), decided to learn how to make Hutsul costumes. Workshops were held and soon the dancers were performing Hutsul choreographies - it was a smashing success - the dancers and audiences loved the variety that new and colorful costumes provided. With the success of this new region, the club decided to move on to other regions as well. Over the past 12 years Kryla has created costumes and choreographies for 6 different regions of Ukraine - Central Ukraine, Hutsulshchyna, Zakarpattya (Transcarpathian), Bukovyna, Polissia, and Volyn. Over the past several years the club has been adding several types of costumes for each region to the costume wardrobe which includes many costumes from Ukraine.

Another part of Kryla that has expanded over the past few years is our rehearsal studio and performance stage. In the early 1990's Kryla was having problems finding stages big enough to hold all the dancers, so the club applied for and received a grant to purchase a 24 foot by 40 foot portable stage. The stage was perfect for holding performances in other buildings and is used every year for our main concerts and shows. Special dance mats were also purchased to enable the dancers to remain on the stage while they were dancing - especially during those fast Hopaks the senior groups were performing. In 1994 Kryla moved to their own dance studio that has dance flooring, mats, bars, mirrors, sound equipment, and even room for all the club's costumes. They continue to rehearse in this studio today.

Previous Page | Next Page >