My alarm woke me up at 4:30 am yesterday in order to get me to the shuttle by 5:30 am. After a short bus ride to the Whistler Mountaineer station in North Vancouver, Canada and I was boarding the privately-run Alberta train up to Whistler to catch some of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games action from [...]

I had an extra few hours on Sunday morning before the drive back to Edmonton to catch my flight home. I was spending the weekend at the Jasper Park Lodge to experience Malanka, the Ukrainian New Year, as well as do a few outdoor things like skating on Lake Mildred and skiing on Marmot Basin. [...]

The previous blog entries about the Vohon Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, and video clips of Bukovynian dance and the Hopak were all performances by Ukrainian dancers. The following two clips were also shot during Malanka (Ukrainian New Year) celebrations at the Jasper Park Lodge but they are part of the Kolomyjka, where a group of people [...]

Yesterday I posted a video showing the Bukovynian dance and today is a clip of the always-popular Ukrainian Hopak dance. This was performed during Malanka (Ukrainian New Year) celebrations at the Jasper Park Lodge in Alberta, Canada. Enjoy! //

Performing at the Malanka Ukrainian New Year celebrations at the Jasper Park Lodge in Alberta, Canada, the Vohon Ukrainian Dance Ensemble does a Bukovynian dance for the audience on opening night. See the video below to watch them entertain the crowd with this folk dance. //

Who would have thought that the main reason for travelling to Jasper, Alberta in January was to celebrate the Ukrainian New Year? The Jasper Park Lodge has been partnering with local Ukrainian organizations for 14 years now to offer a special Malanka package for those who want to experience the Ukrainian Christmas and New Years traditions [...]