For fifteen years, Murray was a member and guest artist of the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers. He served on the Artistic Committee for eight years and had the opportunity to be a guest choreographer. During his four international tours with Shumka, he performed alongside stars Shirley Jones, Robert Goulet, and Andrea Bocelli. Murray also performed in four different dance productions under the artistic direction of Viktor Lytvynov, dancing alongside members from Shumka, Virsky, and the Kyiv Ballet. He has taught at numerous dance schools and ensembles across Alberta, including the Viter Ukrainian Dancers.

 

He has also choreographed and instructed many workshops and summer camps in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Quebec. Murray was a co-creator and facilitator of the Ukrainian Dance Instructor Conference, which provided professional development to Ukrainian dance instructors across Canada.

 

Murray is in his twentieth year teaching Ukrainian dance and in his third year at Zirka. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Ukrainian Folklore and Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta. Murray taught Grade 6 for eight years in the Ukrainian-Bilingual Program and is now a school administrator.​

Nicole has been Ukrainian dancing for twenty years. She started her dance career in Calmar and spent ten years dancing with the Alberta Zirka Ukrainian performers. She then went on to dance with the Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in Edmonton, Alberta under the artistic direction of Zhenia Bahri. With Volya she toured Turkey, and Portugal and danced at various locations across Canada. After retiring from Volya, she returned to her roots to dance with Zirka's adult alumni group before accepting a position instructing for Zirka. This will be her third year with Zirka. 

 

Nicole is passionate about building strong relationships with her students. She strives to make sure all her students reach their full potential, while also developing a genuine love for and enjoyment of dance. Outside of instructing Ukrainian dancing, Nicole teaches high school English and Social Studies.