The 26th annual Tavria Ukrainian dance festival expanded to be a three-day event in the Queen City this year.
The festival is an occasion for performers to be critiqued by a judge and perfect their next move, all while preserving and celebrating Ukrainian dance and culture. Performences began on Friday.
"It’s our identity; pierogis are our identity, cabbage rolls are our identity, Ukrainian dance is our identity. So, I mean, you go somewhere and you say, ‘oh yeah, I do Ukrainian dance and right away an image pops into someone’s head and they know what I’m talking about,'" Tavria Ukrainian dance festival chair Carolyn Griffin said.
With more than 300 dancers competing, organizers expanded the festival to a three-day event.
“This is the biggest festival that I’ve been involved with. I've been doing chairperson registrar since 2009 and we are full (for a) solid three days,” Griffin said.
Dancer Carson Putz won a trophy for having the highest mark in the Bukovina Region category.
"I kept on practicing one by one, the steps over and over and then I finished and did it on the stage and got the trophy," performer Carson Putz said. "I did not know it would happen. I was very surprised and I went up with a smile,"
For the Putz family, Ukrainian dancing is a priority. They dedicate three nights a week performing.
"When I go on stage it just makes me feel like that’s what I’m born to be doing," Carson’s sister Caitlyn, who is also a performer, said.
"It’s fantastic to have our children. Caitlyn and Carson, carrying on the Ukraine culture and traditions by dancing and performing on the stage," Carson’s mother Cora Putz said.
The family will be heading to Ukraine in the summer to get a real taste of the Ukrainian tradition.
The Tavria Ukrainian dance event wrapped up on Sunday evening, and organizers hope to see the event continue to grow.
With files from CTV’S Madina Azizi.
