Shayanna Brown

Shayanna is new to the artistic team, this is her first year as an Assistant Instructor and is assisting the Sonechky class.

Shayanna has been dancing with Sopilka for the past 11 years and is currently dancing with the Krasa Ensemble. Shayanna is graduating this year and plans to attend University of Manitoba to study Nursing.   

This year our class assistants are:

Lealya Kurkura                 Oksana Gerelus

Bella Lavergne                 Natalia Volkmar

Julianna Austman             Ksenya Kukura

Shanaya has been dancing since 2006, starting initially with classes in tap, jazz and hip-hop and graduating to Ukrainian dancing was she was old enough.  After deciding that Ukrainian dance with a passion of hers, she joined Sopilka in 2012.  Outside of dance, Shanaya has been involved in various and has instructed swimming classes since 2015.  She has also been a Camp Counsellor at Diabetes Canada's D-Camps several times over the years and has been an advocate for Type 1 Diabetes for much longer.

Morgan is exciting to be teaching at Sopilka again this year! Morgan has absolutely loved dancing at Sopilka for the past 13 years and views this wonderful community as one of the dearest and more formative aspect of her life. For the past 5 years, she has been a member of the artistic team as an assistant teacher and is existed to be teaching the Level 2 and Junior Ensemble dancers this year.  In addition to dance, Morgan is an experienced musician, having played, performed , and competed on the flute independently and as a member of many bands, ensembles, and orchestras since she was six.  The arts have always played a central and meaningful role in her life, and she aspires to share their power in fostering deep connection and communication with others with and the students in her class. Morgan's  favourite thing about Ukrainian dance is its diversity in the styles of each region, contrasted with its ability to unite everyone who loves and values the vibrancy of Ukrainian culture.  Morgan is currently in her fourth year studying Nursing at the University of Manitoba.  In her free time, Morgan loves to get outside, hike, canoe, travel, and cook.  You might see her biking to dance every week!

Megan Hnatiuk began Ukrainian dancing at the UNF School of Dance at the age of 5 before moving over to Sopilka Ukrainian Dance School where she has been for the last 14 years. During the past five years Megan has had the opportunity to share her love of dance with others through teaching at Sopilka and she is excited to continue to be part of such a wonderful team. Along with teaching Ukrainian dance she teaches Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, and Hip Hop at Kazka Dance Collective. Megan trained at the Shelly Shearer School of Dance for 10 years as a competitive dancer in the Invitational and Pre-Pro programs in Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Lyrical/Contemporary, and Pointe. She has received many dance awards including highest solo mark for her age category four years in a row at the Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Competition, as well as other dance awards and scholarships from attending conventions. Also, she has had the opportunity to perform, compete, and train in different places in Canada, the United States, Ukraine, and Brazil. Megan’s love of dance has made her appreciate the physical and metal benefits of training in multiple disciplines and that every person has a unique role in group dances. She enjoys participating in performances and making new friendships along the way. Currently, Megan is in her fourth year at the University of Winnipeg in the Faculty of Education with a goal of becoming an elementary school teacher.