09/02/2026
We are incredibly excited to welcome Taneal Semeniuk as our Head Instructor for the upcoming season!
For more than a decade, Taneal has been dancing with our adult group while also being a dance mom to four young dancers, becoming a familiar face both on and off the stage and a valued part of the Yachminka family. While she hasn’t been teaching during these recent years, her love of Ukrainian dance has remained very much alive, and this season, we are thrilled to bring her wealth of experience and knowledge back to the forefront.
Taneal’s love of Ukrainian dance began in 1988 in Calder, Saskatchewan, where elementary school desks were pushed to the side to make room to dance, black elastic gym shoes were the footwear of choice, and a young Taneal nervously stepped into a room full of strangers. It didn’t take long for that nervous beginning to turn into a lifelong passion.
Throughout her dancing career, Taneal had the opportunity to learn from some incredible instructors. She began under the direction of Sherry and David Fyck, followed by Cory Bulziuk, and spent many years dancing under the guidance of Ken Matleshewski, graduating in 2000.
Her passion for dance soon extended beyond performing. Taneal spent two seasons as an assistant instructor in Calder, Russell, and at St. Vladimir Boys School before moving into independent instruction. Over the years, she shared her knowledge with dancers throughout Saskatchewan and Manitoba, including in Swan River, Norquay, Russell, Roblin, and Invermay. Her choreography ranged from solos to large group numbers, with particular recognition for her ability to develop strong foundational skills in younger dancers.
Taneal also spent two summers in the late 1990s performing with Canada’s National Riding and Dancing Cossacks, an experience that created lifelong friendships and connections that continue to this day within the Ukrainian dance community.
Her dedication to learning took her to dance camps in Saskatoon, as well as instructor training in Calgary and Edmonton. Eventually raising a family took priority and brought her away from teaching, but never truly away from dance.
And now, we are thrilled to see that passion reignited again for Yachminka.
Taneal is eager to step back into the studio and share what she has spent decades learning: not only dance technique, but discipline, etiquette, musicality, strong foundational skills and a genuine passion for Ukrainian dance.
As she enters this season, she has one goal in mind:
To help every dancer become the very best dancer they are capable of being.
We are so excited for the experience, knowledge and passion Taneal brings to this next chapter of Yachminka. She may be stepping into a new role, but she has been part of our Yachminka family for many years and we couldn’t be happier to bring her skills to the forefront for our dancers.
Welcome to the front of the studio, Taneal. We are so happy to have you leading the way.
