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On 28 September, the Chechen State Academic Dance Ensemble Vainakh performed on the stage of the State Concert Organization Qazaq Concert named after Rosa Baglanova. The performance took place as part of the Russian Seasons international project, which is carried out for the first time in the Republic of Kazakhstan and is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

“I am especially pleased to say that the Vainakh dance ensemble is a reflection of everything that is inherent in the culture of the Caucasus: on the one hand, traditions and history, and on the other, passion, emotionally charged atmosphere, and effervescence of the dance. This is what we value and love so much in the art of Chechen dancers. I thank our Kazakh friends for the warm welcome.

I would like to emphasize that national and ethnic art receives enormous support from the Russian state. Both Chechens and other peoples of Russia have the opportunity to fully adhere to their traditions, their history, their culture, being self-aware as representatives of their ethnic group in their own right, on the one hand, and as citizens of the Russian Federation, on the other, ” noted the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Kazakhstan Alexey Borodavkin.

The Vainakh ensemble, led by People’s Artist of Russia Ramzan Akhmadov, presents Chechen culture and national dances of the peoples of the North Caucasus – including the legendary Lezginka, worldwide. The company was awarded with the Grand Prix of international competitions and festivals; it toured in Argentina, Mexico, Peru, San Salvador, Costa Rica, Portugal, Jordan, Turkey and now in Kazakhstan.

This original and vibrant Chechen company presented a choreographic program of national dances of the Caucasus to the Kazakh audience. The dancers demonstrated honed performing skills and the splendor of national costumes, giving the audience an unforgettable experience and inspiration.

“We are very pleased to visit Kazakhstan at the invitation of Russian Seasons and perform for Kazakh audience. This country is very close to us. We have been here several times before to present a couple of dances. Now we had the opportunity to perform a full program. I hope we have lived up to the audience’s great expectations and laudatory epithets that our company heard here,” said Ramzan Akhmadov, Artistic director of the Vainakh Dance Ensemble.

The performance was not the final event of the Vainakh company’s stay in Kazakhstan. On 29 September, the leading choreographers of the ensemble conducted nine master classes, in which youth dance groups from Kazakhstan took part, including the ZAZAN Lezginka school and the Chechen-Ingush folk dance ensemble “Vainakh”. Choreographers shared their experience in pair dances, male and female dances for different age groups.

The day before, Svetlana Kondratyeva, director of the ANO for promoting concert activities Russian Seasons, spoke about the performance of the Vainakh ensemble and master classes on Sputnik Kazakhstan:

«На сцене «Казахконцерта» выступят коллективы из Астаны – «ZAZAN» и чечено-ингушский ансамбль «Вайнах» – вместе с чеченским государственным ансамблем танца «Вайнах». На площадке Русского дома и других площадках пройдут мастер-классы для участников этих коллективов и всех желающих любителей танца. Благодарим наших коллег, Россотрудничество и Посольство России в Казахстане, за помощь в организации мастер-классов».

“The companies from Astana – ZAZAN and the Chechen-Ingush ensemble “Vainakh” will participate in the performance of the Chechen State Dance Ensemble Vainakh on the Qazaq Concert stage. Master classes will be held at the Russian House and other venues for members of these groups and all interested dance lovers. We thank our colleagues, Rossotrudnichestvo and the Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan, for their assistance in organizing the master classes.”

We express our gratitude to the general information partner of the Russian Seasons project, the international news agency Sputnik Kazakhstan! Sputnik – up-to-date information about events in Kazakhstan and the world. Follow the news on the website and telegram channel Sputnik Kazakhstan.

On 28 September, the Chechen State Academic Dance Ensemble Vainakh will perform on stage of the State Concert Organization Qazaq Concert named after Rosa Baglanova. The performance will be held as part of the Russian Seasons international project, which is taking place for the first time in the Republic of Kazakhstan and is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The Vainakh ensemble under the direction of People’s Artist of Russia Ramzan Akhmadov is the Chechen national pride and glorifies the cultural traditions of the ancestors.  Vainakh presents Chechen culture and national dances of the peoples of the North Caucasus – including the legendary Lezginka, worldwide. The Vainakh dancers received ovations from the audiences in Argentina, Mexico, Peru, San Salvador, Costa Rica, Portugal, Jordan, Turkey; they were awarded with the Grand Prix of international competitions and festivals. Now they are welcomed in shiny Kazakhstan.

This original and vibrant Chechen company will present a program of national dances of the Caucasus to the Kazakh audience. The dancers intend to demonstrate their fantastic performing skills and the beauty of national costumes, and hope to bring unforgettable experience and inspiration to the audience.

In addition, the leading choreographers of the Vainakh ensemble will give six master classes for Kazakh youth dance groups. ZAZAN Lezginka school and the Chechen-Ingush ensemble “Vainakh” from Astana will be among the participants. Choreographers will share their secrets of their mastery in pair dances, male and female dances for different age groups. A Chechen celebration – lovzar – with Vainakh dancers  is expected after master-classes.

From September 28 to November 28 the exhibition St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Figurative Art will be displayed in the main building of the A.Kasteev Kazakh State Museum of Arts in Almaty. The exhibition will open as part of the international cultural project Russian Seasons, which is taking place for the first time in Kazakhstan and is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The exhibition will include more than a hundred works by teachers and graduates of the St. Petersburg academic school, which trained many wonderful masters, including Kazakh artists and fine arts experts.

The St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts was created in the mid-18th century to train and educate talented artists, sculptors and architects. The first teachers were from Europe, who eventually gave way to outstanding Russian artists. Painters Anton Losenko and Dmitry Levitsky, Karl Bryullov and Alexander Ivanov, Ivan Aivazovsky and Ilya Repin studied and taught at the Academy.

Within the walls of the majestic building on the Neva embankment, its students and teachers created paintings and sculptures on biblical, heroic and patriotic themes, designs for public buildings in classical architectural forms. Synthesis of arts, expressivity and integrity of  composition, plastic forms, and color harmony have always been of high value here.

From September 14 to 17, Kazakhstan welcomed the company of the legendary Moscow Art Theater, which celebrates the 125th anniversary of its foundation by V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko and K. S. Stanislavsky this year. The tour took place with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan within the framework of the All-Russian tour and concert plan (the Big Tour program) and the International project Russian Seasons.

On September 14, the City Palace of Culture of Baikonur hosted an Evening of Music and Poetry – Look at the sky and see – Star, staged by Marina Brusnikina specially for this event. “For the show at Baikonur we had the idea to make a special Moscow Art Theater evening from the Reading Circle series: about the stars and performed by the stars of the Art Theater. We called the program Look at the sky and see – Star (line by I. Brodsky). We all tend to dream, and many of us dreamed of being launched into space. This is a mystery, a kind of riddle, that tempts us, and we don’t know the answer,” said M. Brusnikina.

The program of the evening featured People’s Artists of Russia Konstantin Khabensky, Mikhail Porechenkov and Nikolai Chindyaykin, Honored Artist of Russia Marina Brusnikina, actors Kristina Babushkina, Olga Litvinova, Alena Khovanskaya, Pavel Vashilin, Alexey Varushchenko and Yulia Chebakova.

16 and 17 September were marked by  MXAT performances of Anton Chekhov’s Duel  at the M. Lermontov National Russian Drama Theater, staged by Anton Yakovlev.

“Random meetings of random people, united only by time and space. They are all out of their homes at the moment. They are in the Caucasus. None of them know the truth about each other. Almost everyone is in the midst of conflict…” – this is how Anton Yakovlev explained the exposition of the play.

STARRING:

Honored Artists of Russia
Eduard Chekmazov (Von Koren),
Igor Zolotovitsky (Samoilenko),
Valery Troshin (Deacon Pobedov)
Viktor Kulyukhin (Mustafa)
Alexander Usov (Laevsky)

Actors
Alexey Agapov (Kirilin)
Maria Karpova (Nadezhda Fedorovna )
Vera Kharybina (Marya Konstantinovna)
Armen Arushanyan (Achmianov)
Vasily Lyulyukin (Student).

From September 3 to 10, performances of the Obraztsov State Academic Central Puppet Theater took place in the Republic of Uzbekistan with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The events were organized within the framework of the Big Tour program of the All-Russian Tour and Concert Plan and the Russian Seasons international project.

On September 4, a media scrum at the Uzbek National Puppet Theater dedicated to the start of the Obraztsov State Academic Central Puppet Theater tour in Tashkent took place.

Director of the Obraztsov Theater Elena Bulukova expressed gratitude to the Russian Seasons, which invited the theater to take part in such an incredible project, and recalled that in 2018, the Obraztsov company already came to Uzbekistan within the framework of the Big Tour with two classical puppet shows. She emphasized: “We would like to show the audience that puppet theater can exist not only for children, but also for adults. Therefore, this year we brought recent productions and our hallmark show An Extraordinary Concert – we chose the top shows from our repertoire.”

The Chief Director of the theater, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Boris Konstantinov, spoke in more detail about the program of the tour. He noted: “With Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves we were very much afraid of “bringing a samovar to Tula.” But being backstage I heard the applause of the audience – the show was very well received! This means we weren’t mistaken, this means we got it right. We are puppeteers, storytellers and travelers. We need to be on the road. This very venue is no longer alien to us – we are guests, but we feel at home. And the most important thing is we could hear the pulse of the audience, we could feel what happens in their souls and look into their eyes, and there was sunshine in those eyes.”

Director of the State Youth Theater of Uzbekistan Farhod Juraev congratulated the audience on the continuation of the Russian Seasons and reminded that “10 more global events are planned for the end of the year.”

The most prominent Russian puppet art center brought five productions of different genres to Tashkent for audiences of different age categories. On 4 September, on stage of the Uzbek National Puppet Theater, two shows of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves for the youngest theatergoers (6+) were held, and on 6 and 7 September the touching play by Alexander Popescu Sunbeam (6+) was presented. Turkiston Palace of Arts hosted the world’s most famous puppet show An Extraordinary Concert (12+) staged by People’s Artist of the RSFSR Semyon Samodur and People’s Artist of the USSR Sergei Obraztsov. On September 5 and 6, the audience had a chance to watch the best Moscow’s puppet show of the 2017-2018 season (according to Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper rating) – Turandot (16+) based on the fairy tale by Carlo Gozzi (directed by Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Boris Konstantinov); On 8 and 9 September, the shows of the musical triptych The Old Señor and… (16+) revealing the stories from the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez were presented to thee audience.

As part of the Russian Seasons international project in the Republic of Uzbekistan, the oldest Russian animation film studio Soyuzmultfilm held animation master classes for young residents of the Kazakh capital on 4 and 5 September. The masterclasses resulted in creating the original cartoons made by the children. Soyuzmultfilm also organized a series of screenings of the sitcom animated films Prostokvashino, the animated series The Adventures of Petya and the Wolf , short animated cartoons Gentle Heart (directed by Evgenia Zhirkova), My Friend Tiger (directed by Tatiana Kiseleva), The Ship That Wanted to Fly (dir. Ekaterina Filippova), etc..

Also, on September 4 Prokopy Ulyashov, an illustrator and promotion specialist for the Soyuzmultfilm film studio, delivered a lecture How We Help Sharik Keep a Blog From Prostokvashino in Tashkent. He revealed some secrets of who helps Sharik keep a blog. The favorite cartoon film characters – the Hare and the Wolf from Nu pogodi (Well, Just You Wait) cartoon film were helping the lecturer.

At the beginning of September, the largest animation film studio Soyuzmultfilm invites young residents of Uzbekistan, as well as their parents, on a  journey through the fascinating world of animation. All events will take place within the framework of the international cultural project Russian Seasons in Uzbekistan.

Event participants will enjoy interesting animation master classes, during which they will create their own original cartoons under the guidance of experienced animation artists! Animators will edit the footage, work with the sound, make proper credits for creators and e-mail the final version of created cartoons to all program participants. Guests of the Soyuzmultfilm program will have a chance to enjoy screenings of popular feature-length animated films and modern short cartoon films from acknowledged contemporary animation artists.

Schedule

4 September

14.00 – animation master class: creating your own cartoon (age: 8-12 years, number of participants: 20, theme: “Uzbek hospitality”).

15.30 – cartoons screenings: New Prostokvashino,  The Adventures of Petya and the Wolf.

16.30 – How We Help Sharik Keep A Blog From Prostokvashino
Lecture and presentation.
Speaker: Prokopiy Ulyashov,  an illustrator and promotion specialist at the Soyuzmultfilm Film Studio.

17.30 – animation master class: creating your own cartoon (age: 8-12 years, number of participants: 20, theme: “Uzbek hospitality”). The cartoon will integrate elements of style and patterns typical for Uzbek culture.

5 September

14.00 – animation master class: creating your own cartoon (age: 7-10 years, number of participants: 20, theme: “Russian traditions”). The cartoon will feature characters from Russian animated films.

15.30 – cartoons screenings: warm-hearted animation from Soyuzmultfilm (modern short animation program, 83 minutes): Dasha and the Cannibal, Vivat, Musketeers!, Jack The Simpleton, Baba Yaga And The Kiddie, The Game, The Boat That Wanted To Fly, Lazy Vasilisa, Cloudberry, Pyk-puk-puk, Orchestra rehearsal, Warm Star, 7 Little Goats, Gentle Heart, My Friend Tiger.

16.30 – animation master class: creating your own cartoon (age: 7-10 years, number of participants: 20, theme: “Russian traditions”).

On 11 August, Deputy General Director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution ROSCONCERT Svetlana Anatolyevna Kondratyeva will curate the Section of Producing at the Second International Children’s Cultural Forum in Moscow. Svetlana Anatolyevna will hold a live session on the topic Cultural practices: presentation of successful projects, during which she will present the Russian Seasons cultural project.

“The profession of a producer is one of the most neoteric and progressive ones, and it’s in demand,” Svetlana Kondratyeva said. – A producer is supposed to be a highly intelligent, creative and enthusiastic person, capable of leading a whole team of like-minded people, offering something original and bringing it to life. Therefore, it will not be an exaggeration to say that producing is a real art that promotes and develops culture in its broadest sense: from organization of simple events to the implementation of the largest international projects that can take its place in history!”

Streaming of the Producing section program will be available on the Russian Seasons social networks: on the Telegram channel and VKontakte

The relevant link will be posted during the day on 11 August.

The II International Children’s Cultural Forum (kids-forum.ru)  will be held in Moscow from August 10 to 12 at the New Tretyakov Gallery.

From Perm with love

The open air performance of the Swan Lake in Sebastopol

On August 1, the State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve Tauric Chersonesos  hosted the premiere performance of the classical ballet Swan Lake in the author’s version of Alexei Miroshnichenko. As part of the VII International Chersonesos Opera and Ballet Festival, the ballet company of one of the oldest musical theaters in the country presented to the public a romantic story about Prince Siegfried and the beautiful Odette, turned into a white swan by the wicked wizard Rothbart. The ballet, written in 1876, has become a symbol of the Russian academic ballet school.

Right before the performance commenced, welcoming addresses by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova and the Governor of Sebastopol Mikhail Razvozhaevby were announced.

“This stage is erected in Chersonesos every year in the summer. We understand that when the cultural cluster is completed, the festival will move to the Opera and Ballet Theater. The format will be preserved, but in a new interpretation and in a new location. And our evenings here will become history. I am sure that we will always remember this particular open air format, here, on holy land, with particular warmth,” this is how Mikhail Razvozhaev greeted the guests, participants and organizers of the festival.

In her welcoming speech, Olga Lyubimova noted that “the festival has become warmly loved by residents and guests of Sebastopol, and provides a unique opportunity to enjoy the performances of outstanding artists, concerts of classical music and presentation of dance masterpieces in the amazing atmosphere of ancient Chersonesos.”

The head of the ballet troupe of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater, Anton Pimonov, spoke about the peculiarities of the author’s vision of The Swan Lake: “The audience will see a classic version of the ballet with the author’s variations of the last act. The production has already been loved by spectators in Perm, I hope that the residents of Sevastopol and guests of the hero city will appreciate it just as highly as it was in Perm.”

Elena Morozova, the Director of the State Museum-preserve Tauric Chersonese  also addressed the guests, participants and organizers of the festival: “Today, as part of the Seventh Chersonese International Opera and Ballet Festival, which Sevastopol residents and guests of the city have been waiting for the whole year, we are meeting a classical ballet performed by the company of the Tchaikovsky Perm Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. I am sure that this will be an extraordinary performance, and that today, as in all subsequent days, our guests will come out with overwhelmed hearts. Every year we surprise the audience with something special, and I’m sure this year will be no exception.”

The organizers of the VII Chersonese International Festival of Opera and Ballet were the ANO Russian Seasons and LLC Vision Media Center in collaboration with the State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve Tauric Chersonese. The event took place with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Government of the city of Sevastopol.

From August 1 to 4, 2023, a series of performances  of the classical ballet Swan Lake staged in the Tchaikovsky Perm Academic Opera and Ballet Theater will take place. The events are part of the program of the VII Chersonesos International Festival of Opera and Ballet.

The stage version of The Swan Lake,  composed by Tchaikovsky in 1876, premiered in Perm in 2015. Libretto by Alexey Miroshnichenko based on the script by Vladimir Begichev.

Choreography by Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Alexander Gorsky, Konstantin Sergeev, Alexey Miroshnichenko. Stage version by Alexey Miroshnichenko.

The organizers of the VII Chersonesos International Festival of Opera and Ballet are the ANO Russian Seasons and LLC Vision Media Center in collaboration with the State Tauric Chersonese Museum-Reserve. The event is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Government of the city of Sevastopol.

From September 3 to 10, Uzbekistan awaits a marathon of performances by the S.V. Obraztsov State Academic Central Puppet Theater. The events will be held as part of the international cultural project Russian Seasons.

The most acknowledged Russian puppet art center will present five productions of different genres for different age groups in Tashkent. The shows will take place on stage of the Uzbek National Puppet Theater and at the Turkiston Palace of Arts. The spectators in Uzbekistan will see one of the most famous comic performances of the company An Extraordinary Concert (12+), a fairy tale where ancient China and medieval Italy meet – Turandot (16+), a puppet show based on the play Sunbeam by Alexander Popescu ( 6+), and a play, which is a kind of-journey to the ancient Central Asia – Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (6+); also The Old Señor and… (16+) – a production inspired by the works of Gabriel García Márquez is in the bill.