Keeping Traditions Alive Through Dance

Vera Kinan is the founder, artistic director, and choreographer of the Slavic Roots Dance Ensemble. She is a professionally trained choreographer with extensive experience in folk, stage, and contemporary dance, both as a performer and as an instructor.

Vera graduated with honours from the College of Culture in Novosibirsk, Russia, specializing in Choreography (Dance Composition and Production). During her studies, she was a member of the renowned folk dance ensemble Sibirochki, one of the strongest dance collectives in Novosibirsk. The ensemble regularly performed at major city events and toured extensively across Russia, as well as internationally in Kazakhstan.

After graduating, Vera worked as a dance instructor and choreographer with several ensembles. She created folk, disco, and jazz dance productions, and the children's groups she coached consistently achieved prize-winning placements at dance competitions.

Vera was later invited to join a professional folk dance company as a performer, where she built a successful stage career. With this ensemble, she toured widely across Russia and Siberia and participated in international tours, including performances in South Korea.

In addition to stage dance, Vera taught aerobics and step aerobics in fitness clubs. Her classes were consistently in high demand and attracted large groups of women seeking both physical fitness and artistic movement.

After immigrating to Canada, Vera continued her professional work in dance, teaching classical ballet technique at the Joe Ried Dance Studio in London, Ontario.

Vera founded the Slavic Roots Dance Ensemble out of a deep personal belief that dance is a powerful form of self-expression, cultural preservation, and human connection. Under her leadership, the ensemble serves not only as a performance group, but also as a community where members meet, learn, and celebrate the traditions of different cultures through dance.