“Russian Seasons” started in Tashkent
On 21 May the opening ceremony of the International cultural project Russian Seasons in Uzbekistan took place on stage of the Alisher Navoi State Academic Big Theater.
The ceremony was opened by the First Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Uzbekistan Ulugbek Azamov and State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Nadezhda Prepodobnaya. The masters of ceremony – the famous director Jahongir Fayziev, a native of Uzbekistan, and actress Svetlana Ivanova.
For the participants and guests of the ceremony, Nadezhda Prepodobnaya read aloud a greeting from the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova, in which the Head of the Ministry emphasized the special importance of the Russian Seasons in Uzbekistan: “Carrying out this international project is a landmark and important step in the development and strengthening of Russian-Uzbek cultural interaction.” Nadezhda Prepodobnaya presented her Uzbek colleague Ulugbek Azamov with the changeless symbol of the Russian Seasons project – the Firebird statuette. “Such cultural exchanges are very important. It is impossible not to see the progress of recent years in the dialogue between our countries: we do not just hold joint events, but carry out extensive work in various areas – educational, touring, organization of exhibitions and others,” noted Nadezhda Prepodobnaya in an interview with Uzbek journalists.
On entrance of the Alisher Navoi State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Uzbeck spectators were heartily welcomed by the State Academic Russian Folk Ensemble Russia named after Lyudmila Zykina. Right after the opening ceremony, the audience was presented with the performance 12 by the Center for Theater and Cinema under the direction of Nikita Mikhalkov. Nikita Mikhalkov, People’s Artist of Russia, artistic director of the Theater and Cinema Center, emphasized the special significance of this international cultural project and the honorable role of participation in it: “I am proud that our Theater and Cinema Center opens the Russian Seasons in Uzbekistan, which is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, with the play 12 . Russia and Uzbekistan are closely connected. The history of Uzbekistan, culture, traditions, literature… – all this has been formed and collected over centuries. And Russia, like a reliable, indestructible bridge, organically connects East and West.”
