January 19, 2025 marked a closure for Tropak Ukrainian Canadian Cultural and Educational Society. Formed 30 years ago this year, by the collaboration of two Vancouver Ukrainian Dance Ensembles, Luna and Cheremshyna, coming together and forming Tropak Dance Theatre. Under the artistic direction of Serguei Makarov, Tropak began it's journey as Vancouver's only semi-professional Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. 1996 Dancing the Dream, was it's first major performance that defined Tropak's professional quality and beauty in its years after, sharing Ukrainian dance and culture throughout western Canada and the United States. In 2001, Tropak's change in artistic directorship, led to a smaller, dedicated group of dancers being led under the direction of Tamara Pitts . Tropak continued to perform and share Ukrainian dance throughout the community including the Folk Festival in Las Vegas. Over the last few years it was Tamara Pitts’s and Terry Pitts’s commitment to keep Tropak's society alive in order to hopefully pass it onto a deserving group that would benefit from the years of rich history, costuming and contributions. Last year they met with a newly formed lower mainland group led by Marta Kasha . Her group MRIYA had brought together Ukrainian children who had left their home in Ukraine due to the war. The opportunity to pass along our society was absolutely a decision Tamara and Terry had been waiting for. This year forward TROPAK will live on under a new name MRIYA