Artist Profile #8: Arkan Dance Company
Performs Sunday, January 17 at 1:35 pm
www.arkandancecompany.com
#37 daystilldanceweekend
The Ukrainian Academy of Dance has trained over 1500 dancers since it was founded in 1987. This year the school will celebrate its 29th anniversary. Arkan Dance Company was launched as the performing ensemble of the Academy. Since their formation, Arkan has performed at International festivals in Florida, New York and Boston, U.S.A, Taiwan, Brazil, at Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival in Dauphin, Manitoba, Drummondville, Quebec, Nova Scotia, China, Mexico, Turkey, Italy, Korea and Ukraine. This summer Arkan will be traveling to Indonesia to participate in the ERAU INTERNATIONAL FOLK & ART FESTIVAL sponsored by UNESCO (CIOFF).
Arkan was commissioned to create an interpretive modern ballet about the Trypillian culture for the Royal Ontario Museum in 2008 as well as one about the Scythian culture in 2001. They were also privileged to be invited to dance at Madison Square Gardens for the United Nations Summit in 2000. In 2014, Arkan Dance Company created an original piece about Ukraine’s adoption of Christianity that was debuted at the Living Arts Centre at a gala honouring the visit of Ukraine’s Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.