Two brothers from St. Andrews will take to the stage with their dance ensemble in December to showcase Ukrainian Christmas traditions.
Nick and Lukas Skromeda, who dance with Anola’s Selo Ukrainian Dancers, will perform in the production Keeping the Spirit: A Ukrainian Christmas Celebration, a collaboration between Selo and the O. Koshetz Ukrainian Choir of Winnipeg on Dec. 16.
The show follows the story of a Ukrainian family who moves to Canada just as the holiday season arrives. Through song and dance, Keeping the Spirit will share about the Ukrainian and Ukrainian-Canadian Christmas traditions the family takes part in during their first Christmas in Canada.
“It’s a great outlet for people during the Christmas season to see all aspects of Ukrainian heritage come together, not just traditions but also the dance, the music, all of it,” said Lukas, 25. “It’s going to be a really, really great show for people to come see.”
To prepare for the show, the dancers have been practising four to six hours a week, both on their own and having some joint rehearsals with the choir.
“A big part of it is not just making sure we know our dances but understanding the meaning behind those dances,” said Lukas. “It’s knowing how to portray those traditions through dance and being able to ensure that the audience, whether they’re Ukrainian or not, is able to understand what’s happening on stage and how important it is to us.”
Nick, who is a teacher, and Lukas, an accountant, danced with Selo growing up and continued dancing as adults with various ensembles. They haven’t Ukrainian danced for about five years, but when one of Selo’s instructors asked them if they’d dance with the ensemble for the show, they both agreed right away.
“It’s a natural way to express your culture, but then you realize it’s kind of a responsibility … to keep Ukrainian culture alive,” Nick said. “It’s us Ukrainian people, with our strong spirits and our love of Ukrainian culture — it’s up to the people to make sure that Ukrainian culture lives on.”
The brothers with their family celebrate many of the traditions that will appear in Keeping the Spirit, such as serving the 12 meatless dishes on Christmas Eve, inviting carollers to sing between courses and setting an extra place setting at the table to honour the family’s ancestors.
“We are so thankful to [our ancestors] for helping us preserve the heritage and bringing along these traditions to Canada from Ukraine,” Lukas said.
Nick said some of his favourite memories were made while celebrating Ukrainian Christmas at his great-grandfather’s house.
“We affectionately called him Old Gig — we had Younger Gigi (grandfather) and Older Gigi,” said Nick, 29. “His parents came from Ukraine. He grew up on the farm. He didn’t have much, but his whole life, he established this amazing farm right off Old McPhillips, kind of between Lockport and Selkirk.”
At Christmas, all the grandkids would gather in the basement, singing carols, and playing cards, and Old Gig would sit at the end of the table at the bar, looking over them all.
“It’s very emotional to think about now because he’s gone but that’s what he worked for,” Nick said. “Those memories will always be some of the most special memories that I’m ever going to have.”
Celebrating Ukrainian traditions, including through dance, has always been a family affair for Nick and Lukas.
“Ukrainian dance and family are quite synonymous,” Lukas said. “It’s just how it’s always been.”
In addition to dancing alongside each other, Nick and Lukas dance with one of their cousins, plus another cousin, Hannah Picklyk. Her parents, Bonnie and Rod Picklyk, are Selo’s instructors.
“You’re Ukrainian dancing to promote your Ukrainian culture, which comes from your family, your actual blood family, and I would consider all of my best friends from Ukrainian dance family as well,” Nick said. “I don’t know if I could Ukrainian dance without it feeling like family, to be honest.”
Nick and Lukas said Keeping the Spirit will not only entertain and educate the audience but also highlight the strength of Ukraine and Ukrainians, something they said has felt especially important because of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Through dance, as beautiful of a thing as it is, I think it’s also a great way to showcase strength,” Lukas said. “It might not be directly helping the frontlines, but it’s a way to show everyone that Ukraine is willing to continue to be strong and have a united front.”
“Ukrainian culture isn’t a piece of land — it’s people,” Nick added. “In dancing and doing what we’re doing… that is how Ukrainian culture stays alive, people continuing the traditions.”
Keeping the Spirit takes place Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre in Winnipeg. Tickets are available on Eventbrite. To stay up to date with Selo as the ensemble prepares for the show, people can follow along on Instagram (@seloukrdancers) and Facebook (@selodancers).
