Tavria's artistic director comes to us from Lviv, Ukraine, and brings with him years of dance, ballet and choreographic experience. Yuriy Sholdra has been a professional dancer since 1977, beginning as a dancer with the Yunist Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. He toured the world with Yunist for 25 years as a dancer, instructor and ballet master, and in 2001 he obtained his Degree in Choreography from the National Institute of Choreography and Art in Lviv, Ukraine.
Since 2002 Yuriy has been teaching dance in Canada, as either an instructor or artistic director for a number of Ukrainian dance organizations. He has also put on a number of workshops and adjudicated dance competitions and in 2008 was the Stage Choreographer for Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker.
