Sonya Horner
Beginning her formal dance training at age four, Sonya began studying Ukrainian dance, ballet, tap, and jazz. She competed at many festivals and performed in many productions and ballets. Throughout her training, she has studied and completed RAD ballet Advanced II level, as well as CDTA tap and jazz examinations. Most recently in 2019, she became certified in Progressing Ballet Technique for Junior, Senior, and Advanced programs. In her Ukrainian dance career, she became a company member and later a soloist during her 15 years with the Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble. While performing with PFE, Sonya gained extensive knowledge about stage dance, theatre production, and folk dance. She was able to tour within Canada, the United States, and abroad, including Ukraine twice. She is now the répétiteur and Ballet Mistress for Pavlychenko. Sonya continues to learn more about Ukrainian dance by working alongside the Artistic Director of Pavlychenko, Mr. Serhij Koroliuk, and attending workshops within Canada and abroad. In the summer of 2012 and 2013, she travelled to Ukraine to study and train with renowned artists and masters of Ukrainian folk dance, gaining more knowledge of costuming, music, history, and folklore. In 2000, Sonya’s love of dance inspired her to begin teaching extensively around Saskatchewan. She began teaching all genres of dance, but now focuses on ballet and Ukrainian dance. She currently teaches at four dance clubs in Saskatchewan, as well as doing choreography for many others and teaching summer workshops in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba. In 2010, she worked as the Ukrainian Dance Outreach Coordinator for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Saskatchewan Provincial Council, working as a liaison between the organization and the Saskatchewan Ukrainian dance community. She organized summer dance workshops for young dancers, as well as seminars for dance instructors and volunteer members. Professionally, Sonya has a degree in Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan, and works with youth at risk in Saskatoon. |
Christina Hnatiuk has been Ukrainian dancing since the age of four, starting out in her hometown of Prud’homme. She danced there for six years before moving over to Meacham Ukrainian dance club for five years. She finished out her competitive years at Rushnychok and Saskatoon School of Dance. Christina began dancing with Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble in 2005 and spent nine and a half amazing years dancing with the most wonderful people. She was able to travel to New York, Pittsburgh and Chicago, perform on a Caribbean cruise, attend many amazing Saskatoon events and of course visit and dance in Ukraine!
Christina started teaching Ukrainian dance when she was 15 years old, assisting instructors and learning from the best. She has since attended many instructor workshops all over Saskatchewan and the western provinces, and consistently works to learn more every year! She is entering her 17th year of teaching. When Christina is not dancing or teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family up in Waskesiu, where her husband works from April- October, and chasing after her two sons and 7 year old dog. |
Adam Breckner began his dancing career at the age of nine in small town Saskatchewan with the Meacham Ukrainian Dance Club. Under the instruction of Shannon Gabrush and Jason White for most of his time with the group, he was encouraged to join the Saskatoon School of Dance and Bridge into Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble at the age of 15, and has been dancing with them ever since.
Over the years, under the instruction of the world renowned Serhij Koroliuk, Adam has expanded his knowledge of dance repertoire and all the intricacies of Ukrainian dance. This, included with the teachings of the late Lusia Pavlychenko, as well as technique enhanced by Ms. Juliette Perry, has allowed Adam to continue developing his dancing in character, folk, and ballet . Having the pleasure of teaching with wonderful and skilled instructors such as Ms. Sonya Horner and Mrs. Nina Koroliuk has truly encouraged his passion for Ukrainian dance and culture and the drive to pass along that knowledge and passion to future generations of dancers. Adam has traveled multiple times to Ukraine to tour the country and take dance programs from many masters of Ukrainian dance, ballet, and choreography. These include Workshops with the National Honored Dance Ensemble of Ukraine Virsky, Yunist Dance Ensemble in Lviv, The Volyn Ensemble in Lutsk, as well as being instructed by legends such as Rafael Malinowsky and Ivan Kuryliuk. These experiences, plus many others, has given Adam a unique perspective of Ukrainian dance in Canada and added a great deal to his skill set as a Ukrainian dance instructor and choreographer. |