The Russian Federation encompasses 85 'federal subjects', 22 of them being republics and over 185 ethnic groups. This diversity enriches Russia's cultural patrimony. Every nation has its own traditions, songs and folklore. To display this capital, the channel 'Culture' founded the "Вся Россия" фолклорный фестиваль, where ballets and choirs from all over Russia perform their traditional pieces. We watched some extracts of it in class and I wanted to share that with you. The most famous folklore ensemble in the whole of Russia is Хор имени Пятницкого. This choir was founded in 1911, and focuses solely on Russian traditions and folklore (Russian in the ethnic sense). In the video above, they perform the first song in a traditional wear associated mainly with the Yaroslavl Oblast. Альбина Дегтярева! This artist is from Yakutsk in the Sakha Republic. About 40% of its territory is located above the Artic circle and the region is known for its extreme temperatures, its natural resources, for its sceneries, its lakes, mountains...simply for its nature. In the following clip, Albina uses a барган or Jew's harp, which consists in a metal tongue attached to a frame. She places the tongue in her mouth and plucks it with her finger to produce a note. With the instrument, she imitates the sounds of nature. Close your eyes and you'll imagine yourself lost at night in the Taiga. This performance is an example of Yakuts' folklore. Чеченский государственный ансамбль танца "Вайнах" This ensemble was founded in 1939 and is based in Grozny, the capital of the Republic of Chechnya, in the North Caucasus. It's a ballet which showcases the character of the Chechen people: strong, brave, proud. They perform in concert halls all over Russia and often abroad. You can see below one of the pieces they presented in Ukraine. And FINALLY as an extra, I want to share with you the most famous Russian folk song. Stop anyone in the street and ask them if they know this song, the answer will be YES. It was originally composed by Alxandra Zheleznova-Armfelt in 1896-1897, the original title being Ой, не вечоръ, то-ли не вечоръ. A young soldier has a disturbing dream, and his captain interprets it as an omen of their defeat. What's interesting is that the original lyrics of the song made reference to Stepan Razin, a Cossack leader who led an uprising against the tsarist power in the 17th century. This is part of Cossack folklore, a people descendent of peasants who fled from their masters, and dispersed all over Russia to find their freedom. They later formed semi-military communities and were charged by the tsar of the protection of borders. The majority of Cossacks supported the tsarist regime during the civil war that took place from 1917 to 1922, fighting in the tsarist army. Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!
До свидания!
2 Comments
Kinross High School S6 Russian class
10/4/2017 06:47:03 am
Hello Safaa. Thankyou for your blog. Can you tell us where you are from originally ? We found the RUssian dancing and cultural information really interesting. Why are you studying Russian? What is the best part of living in Russia? Can you tell us what the food is like? PLease send us some more video clips of life in Russia. What shops are there? Thankyou.
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Safaa
10/4/2017 07:21:16 am
Hello everyone,
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AuthorThird year student at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Studies Russian, German and International Relations. Loves traveling. Loves languages. Loves to share. Hence, this BLOG! Archives
January 2018
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