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Cossacks and wallflowers : Ukrainian stage dance, identity and politics in Saskatchewan from the 1920s to the present

Ukrainian dance is a popular means of expressing Ukrainian cultural affiliation, for the dancers as well as for the audience. It also performs a didactic function by sanctioning specific identities through the instruction and presentation of dances. This thesis examines the interaction of politics and the arts in shaping these identities in Saskatchewan.<p>By tracing the establishment and development of staged dance, this thesis explores the formation of the Ukrainian Canadian identity in the twentieth century. Through analysis of primary documents, archival footage, and interviews with leaders in the dance community, a record of the development of Ukrainian dance in Saskatchewan has been created. As the reasons for the dances changed over time due to internal and external pressures, so did the dances and identities that were expressed and encouraged.<p>This study also reveals that dance and politics are inextricably intertwined in the province. An internal nationalist / progressive political division shaped Ukrainian Canadian identity and the expression of that identity, including dance. Politics were imposed through control over the locations of dance training and performance. The legitimacy of the political divide, however, was challenged in the postwar period as artistry and aesthetics were emphasized. Political influence upon Ukrainian dance also extended beyond the Ukrainian Canadian community, and included consequences of general Canadian developments, such as the multicultural policy. By tracing the intersection between politics, identity and the arts in this ethnocultural community, how various influences shaped Ukrainian cultural identity is explored and critically examined.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:SSU.etd-08262007-211713
Date27 August 2007
CreatorsStaniec, Jillian D.
ContributorsWaiser, William A., McCannon, John, Korinek, Valerie J., Handy, Jim, Brenna, Dwayne
PublisherUniversity of Saskatchewan
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
Sourcehttp://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-08262007-211713/
Rightsunrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report.

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