Fedir Danylak

Fedir Ivanovych Danylak (; born 1955) As a child, he studied basic choreography and performed for the local population.

In 1972, he enrolled at the Kalush School of Culture (now Kalush College of Culture and Arts) to study dance professionally under Maria Lyashkevych, an experienced performer and instructor.

After graduating from the Kalush School in 1976,

Career in Canada In late 1996, Danylak and his family immigrated to Toronto, Canada. The city's Ukrainian community enabled Danylak to continue his career as a teacher and choreographer. In his first year in Toronto, Danylak taught Ukrainian dance at Ukrainian dance schools. His work with Vesnianka and the Academy of Ukrainian Dance provided him with experience teaching within the Ukrainian diaspora.

Teaching career According to Canadian education standards, Danylak's university diploma from Ukraine was considered equivalent to a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto. He worked as a substitute teacher at the Toronto District School Board, eventually earning an Ontario College of Teachers diploma, which allowed him to become a fully qualified teacher in Ontario. He undertook specialized coursework and, in time, became a fully qualified special education teacher. With support from Lesa Semsecen, then a vice principal at Toronto's Elmbank Junior Middle Academy, he was hired as a special education teacher at the school.

Barvinok In 1997, Danylak became the artistic director of the Barvinok ensemble, after being introduced to the executive committee of the Barvinok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble by his friend Myroslava Cummings. Before that, he had a trial period at the Barvinok Ukrainian School of Dance. Support from dancers' parents gave Danylak the opportunity to expand the dance repertoire at the school.

In 2000, the group made its first trip to Ukraine. The visit concluded with a first-place award at the International Ukrainian Dance Competition in Yalta. The ensemble participated in numerous festivals and formal events during this period.

List of dances

During his time as Barvinok's artistic director, Danylak choreographed dances from every region of Ukraine for students of all ages. This is a partial list of Ukrainian folk dances choreographed by Danylak, which also includes Latin and ballroom suites: 1. Hopak 2. Volyn 3. Holodomor Suite 4. Wedding Suites 5. Prykarpattya Suites 6. Hutsul Suites 7. Malanka Night 8. Wild Dances 9. Buko 10. Lemko Dance 11. Zakarpattya Dance 12. Vasylechky 13. Vyjdy Hryciu 14. Welcome Suites 15. Oj Na Hori Kalyna 16. Come Out Hryhorij 17. Gypsy 18. Welcoming Dance There are many more dances choreographed by Danylak not featured here, including dozens for dancers from ages 5 to 29.

Community In addition to his role as a choreographer and artistic director of Barvinok, Danylak also participates in the Ukrainian community as a producer and director of various festivals and community events. Recently, he produced the entertainment program at the celebration of Ukrainian Independence at Centennial Park in Toronto. He was also one of the organizers of the Ukrainian Dance Festival.

Personal life Danylak lives in Mississauga, Ontario. He has been married to his wife, Hrystyna, for 29 years. Danylak is also a cousin of Roman Danylak, bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.