Instructors
Faculty 2024-2025
Shane Gibson is a former member and past President of the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers, with whom he danced for more than 14 years. During his involvement with Shumka, he toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States and China as a cast member of Absolutely Shumka, Cobbler's Princess and Cinderella. Shane has received training in Character Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Musical Theatre and has worked and trained with several celebrated artists in North America and Ukraine.
Shane has complemented his dance training with studies in gross human anatomy/physiology, biomechanics, and visual and performing arts. He has shared his love of dance with students across Western Canada as an Artistic Director, Instructor or Adjudicator and is currently focused on developing and delivering quality professional development and resources for Ukrainian dance instructors. Shane has successfully created an original full length production for Tryzub's Ensemble titled Heroiam Slava - Glory to the Heroes; taking this on tour to Ukraine in the summer of 2019 and Western Canada in the fall of 2019; and has currently been working on Tryzub's 50th Anniversary Show - "Dzvinka".
Olena is a graduate from the Berdiansk State Pedagogical University with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in dance, and has over 19 years of teaching experience with Baida Children's Folk Ensemble in Ukraine - where her dancers have participated in international festivals and competitions.
She is also a performer, formerly of the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble Zaporozhtsi of the Zaporizhia Regional Philharmonic from 2006 to 2022. As part of the team, she visited many Ukrainian cities to present Ukrainian folk dance.
Guest Choreographer/Casual Instructor
Vitali Brahin
Vitali was a dancer with the National Honoured Academic Dance Ensemble of Ukraine, Virsky for 6 years. He also danced with the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Zaporizhia Regional Philarmonic from 2006-2022.
Since 2003 he has shared his talents with the Baida Children's Folk Ensemble in Ukraine as a choreographer and later as Artistic Director. His dancers have participated in festivals and competitions throughout Ukraine and internationally.
Sophie Zilke
Miss Sophie trained at the International School of Ballet as well as Drewitz Dance Productions throughout her 15 years of training. She has studied in the style designed by the Royal Acdemy of Dance and completed all levels from Pre-Primary up to Advanced 2 with Distinction. Sophie has also performed with Jeunesse Classique Ballet for the last 12 years and evolved from the smallest role - Seraphim, to the Principal role of Sugar Plum Fairy in the 2023 production of The Nutcracker. Other productions and variations she has danced include: La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and most recently La Fille Mal Gardee.
Ballet Lead Instructor
Christine began her Ukrainian dance career at age five, and was a student of Tryzub School for eleven years. In 2007 she joined Tryzub's School faculty striving to share her love of dance with her students. She has studied Ukrainian dance, ballet, and musical theatre under several very talented instructors, including Anna Kanevets and Shane Gibson.
Christine has been performing with the Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble since 2008; her career highlights have included international tours to Mexico, Turkey, Panama, and Colombia, national productions of Razom and Razom 2, the 45th anniversary tour of Heroiam Slava-Glory to the Heroes in Canada and Ukraine, and most recently Tryzub's debut of "Dzvinka" in the Okanagan.
Nolan started his Ukrainian dance career in 2013 at Tryzub's School of Ukrainian Dance. He is also an alumnus of Tryzub's Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. Some of his dance career highlights include Tryzub's trip to Ukraine in 2019, Heroiam Slava-Glory to the Heroes, as well as many national tours across Canada. Nolan works as a program specialist where he mentors children with autism here in Calgary.
Lauren Saunders studied ballet at the International School of Ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus for 13 years. Throughout her ballet career, Lauren danced with Jeunesse Classique Ballet where she climbed the ranks to perform principle roles such as Sugarplum, Aurora, and Coppélia. She danced at the Alberta Ballet School for one year of training with their junior school where she studied the Cecchetti syllabus, and attended The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s Post-Secondary Aspirant Program where she performed in RWB’s Nutcracker and Swan Lake.
More locally, Lauren is a member of Tryzub's Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, and is a proud cast member of Tryzub's 50th Anniversary production, "Dzvinka".
Anna began dancing at a young age, and has since decided to integrate choreography into her life as much as possible. She studied for 9 years in the 'Folk Stage Dance' department, earning three diplomas - the latest of which is a master's degree from the Academy of Culture and Arts Leadership in Kyiv.
Anna had the opportunity to work within the Ivano-Frankivsk National Academic Hutsul Song and Dance Ensemble 'Hutsuliia'. During her time in Ukraine, Anna had extensive experience working with children, having taught dance to children aged 3 to 5 in kindergarten and in an art school. Anna is also the founder of the dance studio 'Euphoria', where she teaches children aged 6 to 16.
Johnny has been dancing for 18 years, starting at age 3 at Yalenka Ukrainian Dancers Society. He has been taught by many talented instructors and has inherited their passion which he hopes to pass onto the next generation of dancers.
Throughout his dancing career, Johnny has won several awards for his solos and has had the opportunity to experiment with and learn various regional styles.
Currently, Johnny dances with Tryzub's Ensemble, of which he has been a member for 5 years. His passion for teaching ignited after volunteering to assist the Ensemble Choreography class last year. In this 50th anniversary year, he is excited to become more involved in the Tryzub community and contribute to Tryzub's legacy.