Shumka Will Present CANADA’S UKRAINIAN NUTCRACKER At Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

Shumka will return to the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium for three performances of Canada’s Ukrainian Nutcracker on December 20 and 21, 2025. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $23.

An annual Christmas tradition, the production blends the grace of classical ballet with the strength and energy of Ukrainian character dance. More than 80 performers will take the stage, including Shumka company dancers, students from the Shumka School of Dance, and voices from Edmonton’s Kappella Kyrie Slavic Chamber Choir—a new collaboration for 2025.

This year’s performances will mark a milestone as Shumka company members take on the lead roles for the first time, including Leda Tarnawsky as Clara, Nicolas Pacholok as the Prince, Joshua Pacholok as Drosselmeier, and Annikka Dobko as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Described as “Canada’s Ukrainian Nutcracker,” the folk ballet reimagines Tchaikovsky’s classic through a Ukrainian cultural lens. The production incorporates folk and character dance, orchestral arrangements of the original score with new compositions, Ukrainian carols, and traditional symbols within its sets and costumes.

Canada’s Ukrainian Nutcracker was created through an ongoing partnership between Ukrainian and Canadian artists. Music arrangements are by Yuri Shevchenko (Ukraine), choreography by Viktor Lytvynov of the National Ballet of Ukraine and former Shumka Artistic Director John Pichlyk, and direction by Shumka’s Artistic Director Tasha Orysiuk. Sets and costumes are designed by Maria Levitska of the National Opera of Ukraine, with new costume additions by Shumka’s Trinity (Chopyk) Kenneth, and lighting design by Edmonton’s Jeff Osterlin.

The production will be presented in four Canadian cities in 2025, with performances in Victoria (presented by Dance Victoria with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra), Medicine Hat (The Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre), Camrose (Camrose Live), and Edmonton.