Jennifer Geens
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 09/04) - The Aurora Ukrainian Dancers return for their ninth annual engagement at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre next weekend.

The 46-member dance troupe has participants of all ages.

"Our youngest is five," said member Daphne Dowbush.

"And our oldest, I'm not going to tell."

Instructors Donna Marie Ouellette, Denise Chenier and Tracey Belton do research to keep the dances and costumes as traditional as possible.

Dancers will perform the traditional dances of five regions of the Ukraine.

This year, the Aurora Dancers will also perform a new dance inspired by the Northern Lights.

Dancers will wear new costumes depicting the gold and diamond mines, white snow and the Aurora Borealis.

The recital is a culmination of months of work, beginning with the first practices in September.

Ukrainian dance has been a part of Yellowknife since 1978, when Elsie Marykuca started the first group.

The group adopted the name Aurora Ukrainian Dancers in 1986.

Though the group took a hiatus between 1991 and 1995, the troupe is now bigger than ever.