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The dance libretto and concepts for a contemporary original dance theatre work titled Voices of the Silenced, directed by Gordon Gordey. This dancework was created for The Ukrainian Shumka Dancers of Canada. Voices of the Silenced is a contemporary Ukrainian Canadian narrative folk dance theatre work with video exploring the unjust internment of Ukrainian Canadians as “enemy aliens” in Canada during WWI. These “enemy aliens” were subjected to having to carry registration identity papers, often pay monthly registration fees, and were under constant surveillance. Of the 80,000 who were registered under the authority of the Act, 8,579 were deemed: “enemy aliens”. The majority of “enemy aliens” were Ukrainians and were arrested and interned in 26 makeshift encampments located mostly in Canada’s frontier hinterlands. They were forced into hard labour clearing land for roads, building bridges, and building the railway.

The video for Voices of the Silenced was directed by Gordon Gordey for The Ukrainian Shumka Dancers of Canada. Voices of the Silenced is a contemporary Ukrainian Canadian narrative folk dance theatre work with video exploring the unjust internment of Ukrainian Canadians as “enemy aliens” in Canada during WWI. These “enemy aliens” were subjected to having to carry registration identity papers, often pay monthly registration fees, and were under constant surveillance. Of the 80,000 who were registered under the authority of the Act, 8,579 were deemed: “enemy aliens”. The majority of “enemy aliens” were Ukrainians and were arrested and interned in 26 makeshift encampments located mostly in Canada’s frontier hinterlands. They were forced into hard labour clearing land for roads, building bridges, and building the railway.

Voices of the Silenced - Premiere Performance, Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton: November 17, 2012.

Gordon Gordey documents his dance libretto and director’s vision in Ukrainain, including performance photographs, for the creation of a contemporary original dance theatre work titled Eve of Kupalo - a Midsummer’s Night Mystery Masque. This dancework was created for The Ukrainian Shumka Dancers of Canada. Eve of Kupalo – a Midsummer’s Night Mystery Masque premiered at the 2,700 seat Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on March 19, 2009. Since then it has toured across Canada and has toured to China, where it played 22 performances in major theatres in 14 cities carrying the Kupalo metaphor of the spirituality of renewal, ritual, and love.

First Draft Concept/Libretto was created in 2007.
Premiere Performance, Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton: March 19, 2009.