Larissa Szachrajuk, B.H.R.M., Artistic Director

Larissa began her dance training at the Ontario School of Dance, learning Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, and Modern, and continued her studies at the Etobicoke School of the Arts.  Ukrainian dancing for 16 years now, Larissa has been a soloist with Arkan Dance Company and has traveled with them worldwide to Florida, Nova Scotia, China, Mexico, Quebec, Turkey and Italy.  She has also been a featured soloist in Arkan’s “Dance of Gold” in 2001 and “Dance of the Light” in 2008, both at the Royal Ontario Museum.  She directed Arkan’s 2009 tour to Italy and the Ukrainian Children’s Ensemble’s 2007 trip to Florida.  She has choreographed for the Ukrainian Academy of Dance as well as Stefura Dance Studios, and had the privilege of joint choreographing a piece for Arkan with National Artist of Ukraine, Rafail Malinowsky.  Larissa has completed Shumka’s Ukrainian Dance Syllabus Training Program (Tier 1). 

Danovia Stechishin Stefura, B.F.A., M.B.A., Assistant Artistic Director

Danovia received her formal dance, choreographic and pedagogical training at the Edmonton School of Ballet, Alberta Ballet Company, the Banff School of Fine Arts, York University, George Brown College, and the Kiev Institute Kultura in Ukraine.  Danovia danced professionally as a ballet and modern dancer for several years, as well as performed and toured with the Ukrainian ensembles Zirka, Shumka and The Ukrainian Festival Dance Company.  In 1984 she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) in Dance, and in 1986, a Masters of Arts Administration and Marketing, both degrees from York University in Toronto.

Danovia studied folk dance in Lviv, Ukraine with the Artistic Directors of Verkhovyna, Hutzulski Company of Song and Dance, Zakarpatski Company of Song and Dance, UNIST Company, Horytsvit, and took private classes at the Lviv Ballet Opera Theater.  She did folkloric research in over 100 villages and studied with most of the professional folk and ballet companies in Ukraine.  Danovia has also studied Hungarian and gypsy dance in Hungary, and studied many other countries’ folk dances including Polish, Russian, Georgian, Spanish, Hawaiian, Moldavian, and Kuban.

            Danovia founded the Ukrainian Academy of Dance in 1987 and has trained over 1500 dancers since then.  She formed Arkan Dance Company in 1995 as the performing ensemble of the Academy, and they have performed at international festivals across the globe since then.  Danovia is skilled in teaching ages 3 to adult in Ballet, Jazz, Ballroom/Latin, Creative Movement, Modern, Character and Ukrainian Folk Dance with 32 years of experience. Her husband, Scott Stefura, a former Shumka dancer himself, also assists with the studio, props, music and wardrobe.  They have 3 children, all of whom dance at the studio.

Teachers

Tania Hetmanczuk, Roman Kraus

Assistant Teachers

Leah Burkovsky, Inga Bekbudova