Beryozka Folklore Dance Ensemble: A Cultural Trademark of Russia

For the hundredth time, the world-renowned Beryozka (Little Birch) Folklore Dance Ensemble created a sensation in China, earning storms of applause in packed houses in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Shenzhen. As always, their tour passed in triumph!

In the early 1950s, the Beryozka ensemble gave its first in China. The ensemble was one of the first foreign groups to visit Beijing after the formation of the People’s Republic of China. Since then, lovers of Russian dance all over China have attended Beryozka’s performances with steadfast devotion. This year, the performers are dancing two jubilee programs, one to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the ensemble, and the other to mark the 100^th anniversary of the birth of the ensemble’s founder, Nadezhda Nadezhdina. Her choreography of the “Maiden’s Round Dance” is the still the “calling-card” of the company. It casts a spell over the audience with its floating pace, poetic beauty, and gracefulness.

The group’s current leader, Mira Koltsova, said, “Our compositions have long since become classics in the female lyric dance repertoire. Our ensemble has preserved the theme of the traditional Russian love story. It is very nice to see that it is now going through a renaissance. There are so many beautiful teens, adults, and kids attending our concerts and they all say they experience a great catharsis through our performance”.

For years, the Beryozka troupe was regarded as a trademark of the Russian culture; its artistry has won audiences in 80 countries. Its repertoire is rich and unique, consisting of round dances, comic dances, quadrilles, and sketches of Russian life. Preserving our age-old national culture, the group allows its audiences to better understand the Russian soul, since “it personifies the stories of our people in their highly-professional dance performances”. A critic for the French newspaper Le Figaro once wrote, “It is better to see one concert by Beryozka than it is to read more than 200 books about Russia”.

4 February 2009

Larissa Roshchina

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=100760&cid=24&p=04.02.2009 (in Russian)

Tennis, Hockey, and Football: The Brightest Pages of the Year in Sport in Russia

The most exciting sporting events in the past year were three outstanding performances, all equal in stature. Firstly, there was the victory of FC Zenit St Petersburg as the UEFA champions, winning the Super Cup. Then, there was the stupendous accomplishment of our hockey players in winning the world championships held in Canada, the birthplace of the game. Finally, there was the sterling performance of our tennis players at the Beijing Olympiad.

It seems like yesterday that the Russian fans were in the streets rowdily rejoicing at the Russian victory. Even those who were not familiar with the football world understood that something improbable had occurred. For the first time in the 35-year history of the Super Cup of the UEFA, a Russian side had grabbed the gold. Moreover, this was a triumph not over some ordinary common-garden club; it was a trouncing of the legendary FC Manchester United from England. In St Petersburg, the fans spontaneously celebrated throughout the city for several days. FC Zenit was the toast of the northern capital. All over the city, in the squares, at non-stop concerts, and in packed taverns and restaurants, the party went on 24/7.

From all sides, one heard the praises of the beloved home-team sung everywhere. “We waited so long for this victory, and, then, this miracle came. In my opinion, I never saw the Zenit side play better. Good God Almighty, we gave our best and went on to win”, one of the fans said. Even well-known fans did not conceal their emotion. Aleksei Miller, the head of Gazprom, who was in Monaco on the day of the Zenit-Man United match, shouted out, in unison with all the other fans gathered there, “Zenit, we are the champs!” He went on to say, “I am certain that this was a red-letter day for all Russian football. Until now, we Russians haven’t won such trophies. Undoubtedly, this is a step forward. I think that we shall be able to hold on to our position [in world football]. I mean Russian football in general when I say this.”

Just as a Russian club won a significant football trophy for the first time, then, our hockey players won back the title of the best team in the world. Both fans and athletes had waited for this day for 15 years. Not only did the Russian side rout the usual competition, but, they whipped the originators of the game, the Canadians, who were playing with the home ice advantage in Québec, during the 100^th anniversary of pro hockey in their country.

Vyacheslav Fetisov, one of the players on the Russian squad, said that it was a hard-fought victory. They came back from behind by scoring two goals in the second-half of the third period to tie the score. He said, “The guys knew how to appear natural in this sticky situation. They broke the other side’s momentum, so, we went on to win in overtime play. It’s hard to pull this kind of thing off. Yes, indeed, some new Russian heroes appeared. They have a bright future ahead of them, for they showed everybody that they had the grit to believe in victory, even when everybody else had written them off. In the present situation, when we faced a strong side with great advantages, we broke the momentum of their game, and we showed that we had faith in ourselves and in our team. This is a great bunch of guys and we should be proud of them”.

People all around the world are accustomed to see Russian tennis players win prestigious tournaments. However, no one expected them to sweep one of the events at the Beijing Olympiad, with no one but Russians on the winners’ podium. The gold-medallist, Yelena Dementieva was an original member of the Olympic team, but, the winners of the silver and the bronze, Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva, only became members of the squad mere days the beginning of the Games, as the players named to the team where unable to compete for various reasons. It is no over-exaggeration to say that the quality of the play they showed on the court was phenomenal. Although the pace of the competition was exhausting, it did not seem to affect them. They all made it through to the finale.

After the match was over, Yelena Dementieva said of her team-mate Dinara Safina, “My only desire was to win, and I did everything possible to see that I did. I can’t believe that all of this is happening. All my life, I have dreamed of being an Olympic champion, and, now, that I have done it, I can’t believe it. I feel so very happy that I reached my life goal. It was a very good match. Dinara is a very good girl, it seemed that she got tired out, indeed, she had a crazy set of matches at the Olympics, and I wish her every success in the world”.

The year in sport is now over. Now, the fans await ever-new victories from their idols. The competition for next year’s UEFA Cup has already begun, the next world hockey championship will be held in April 2009, and the tennis players face a new challenge, the fight for the title of the best player in the world.

24 December 2008

Svetlana Andreyeva

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=95116&cid=25&p=24.12.2008 (in Russian)

The 13th Paralympics Opened In Beijing

The 13th Paralympics opened in Beijing today, with 558 awards up for grabs by more than 4,000 athletes from 148 countries. Russian athletes stand a good chance of winning many of the awards. Team Russia is made up of 145 athletes, almost twice as strong as our team during the previous Games in Athens. The Russian athletes that will compete in Beijing are track-and-fielders, swimmers, wrestlers, and fencers. Some of them are novices to the Games, whilst others have already performed in glory at the Paralympics under the Russian colours.

Marat Yusupov once went in for sports acrobatics and gained the title of Master of Sports, but, found himself in a wheelchair following a major injury. Yet, he chose not to give up sports. The only change that followed was that he switched over to fencing. “It’s the first time that I’ve competed at the Paralympics, but, it will be not only my personal debut, but, that of our Russian fencing team at the Paralympics. Russia never competed in fencing at the Paralympics before, unlike other national teams, which are quite experienced in the sport. But, we will fight hard to win, no matter what”.

Russian fans rooting on the home team. “Go for the gold!” Rossiya vpered! Russia forward!

The youngest and most experienced Russian team is the swimming squad. Igor Plotnikov set two world records at the previous Paralympics in Athens. This time, too, he came to Beijing to win the gold. “I’d like to defend my title of world champion, although I realise this will prove no easy matter, with competition proving really tough, which makes one get quite nervous. One is prone to collywobbles at any championship, even an ordinary Russian national one. But, if an athlete can pull oneself together, like I did in Athens, then, it’s not that difficult to win. But, then, this may happen just once in a lifetime. Besides, in Beijing there’s such frenzy around the Chinese athletes, although they are just ordinary people like any others and can be beaten just as well. Simply put, they will win only if we give in to them”.

The torch of the 13th Paralympics is due to be lit today, 6 September, to burn throughout the Games. The torch relay has been on throughout many of China’s cities and provinces for the previous two weeks, and Russian torch-bearers, 10 of them to be exact, were part of the relay that bore the torch near and in Beijing. The Games fire is now lit, which means that the Paralympics has kicked off and the athletes dream of just one thing, just how they could make it to the top step of the pedestal.

6 September 2008

Svetlana Andreyeva

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=82681&cid=25&p=06.09.2008 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

This is somewhat personal for me. I was married for 18 years to a lovely person who happened to be blind. It always bothered me to see how people treat someone with a physical disability. There is nothing more to be said…

SuGui Kriss (1987- ), US Paralympic athlete in volleyball

As a matter of note, one of the US Paralympians is from my town, Albany NY. My greetings to SuGui Kriss, and I send on my personal good wishes and regards. Bog blagoslovit.

Russian Paralympians Determined to Conquer Beijing

Almost two weeks after the Olympic Games ended in Beijing, the Chinese capital is welcoming 4,000 sportsmen from 148 countries for the Paralympics. They will compete from 6 to 17 September. They are of different ages and races, but, they share the common experience of physical disability. For these people, sport is something that can change the world. “Like our coaches say, we’re not training only sportsmen, not only sports skills, but, we’re first of all training personalities. Fencing helps us grow a stronger character and make us very determined. It makes us want to win over any hardships”, Sergei Frolov, of the Russian Paralympic sabre and foil fencing team, said.

When Vladimir Poleshuk was young, he liked fencing and seriously thought about a sports career. He even won several regional competitions before an illness changed his life and meant he had to use a wheelchair. But, after 27 years of life with his disability, he learned that there was a para-fencing sport in Russia. “It’s like a taste of childhood. This is something I’ve missed very much. Of course, I worked hard and did some training in these 27 years, but, now, I’m back to where I belong”, he said.

The Russian Paralympics team unites 140 athletes from across Russia in different sports from weightlifting to football. Almost 44 billion dollars (1.128 trillion roubles. 31.205 billion euros. 25.049 billion UK pounds) was spent on the events in China and the organisational committee says that the Paralympics is a chance for disabled people to integrate into society. “The world has very many people with [physical] disabilities. There are 87 million in China alone. We in Beijing have done our best to ensure that the Paralympics will be held at the highest level, and what’s most important, after the Games finish, I’m sure more disabled people will go into the streets and feel themselves a part of society”, said Tang Xiaoquan from the Beijing organisational committee.

The Russian Paralympians haven’t been seen as frontrunners for the last decade, partly because sport for the disabled is only gathering pace in the country. But, rather unexpectedly, the Russian Winter Paralympics team won the games in Torino, thus setting an example for their summer colleagues. “We know that our team isn’t big, only 140 athletes. But, we’ll do everything so that at the next Games Russia would have a representation in all Paralympics sports”, said Vitaly Mutko, the Sports Minister. The Russian athletes have set a whole string of European and world records in different sports during the last couple of years and they will certainly want to show themselves as a serious force in Beijing.

6 September 2008

Russia Today

http://www.russiatoday.com/sports/news/30029 (in English)

6 September 2008. Let’s Go the the Movies!

The above is a six-minute clip from a new (in 2007) Russian epic film on Genghis Khan entitled Mongol. Not for the squeamish, I’d say!  

Molieben Served at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour for Russian Paralympians

Russian Paralympians at a formal reception at the State Kremlin Palace

Moscow, 29 August 2008 (Interfax):

On Friday, the Russian Paralympians gathered at the Lower Church of the Transfiguration at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour for a molieben. After the service, Bishop Amvrosy of Bronnitsky communicated the blessing of Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia to the team as they prepared to depart for Beijing. He noted that the molieben for the Paralympians was served in a church that “is a symbol of the victories and of the spiritual revival of Russia. You are shining exemplars of indomitable spirit and dynamic will-power; therefore, we believe that you shall do your best”. Vladyki Amvrosy then gave each of the athletes a small cross and a small icon of St George the all-Victorious. The Paralympians were dressed in their team uniforms for the molieben, and Vladimir Lukin, the President of the Paralympic Committee and Advisor on Human Rights in the RF, and Pavel Rozhkov, the First Vice-President of the Committee and the Head of the Team, were present as well.

Russian Paralympic Team with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (1952- ) in the State Kremlin Palace

The Paraympic Games (Olympics for the physically-handicapped) in 2008 shall take place in Beijing from 6 to 17 September 2008, 13 days after the closing of the 29^th Olympic Games. The Russian National Team consists of 145 members, including 40 Masters of Sport, 29 Masters of Sport (International Class), and 55 trainers.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=26263 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

The lower church of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was chosen as the venue of the molieben due to the fact that wheelchair accessibility is better than in the upper church or in any of the older churches in the Moscow Kremlin.

30 August 2008. A Day at the Races…

World Women’s Chess Championship Opens in Russia

Aleksandra Kostenyuk (1984- ), Russian Grand Master in chess

The world women’s chess championship opens today in the Russian city of Nalchik in the North Caucasus. Competing for the title “The Strongest” in the FIDE version will be female chess players from 29 countries. China has the largest team at the tournament, 8 participants. 7 women chess players will perform under the Russian flag. The prize fund of the championship in Nalchik is 450,000 dollars (11.076 million roubles. 306,675 euros. 247,500 UK pounds). The current world champion is Syui Yuihua from China.

28 August 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=31759&cid=52&p=28.08.2008 (in English)

President Medvedev Calls Paralympics an Important Event in Sports History

President Dmitri Medvedev called the forthcoming Paralympic Games in Beijing an important event in world sports history. In his address to the Russian Paralympic athletes, Medvedev said the competitions unite people with strong will so that they can prove that against all odds they are not deprived of a chance for self-actualisation. The Paralympics in Beijing will bring together more than 4,000 athletes from 148 countries, who will compete from 6 to 17 September. The Paralympic torch relay began in Beijing today.

29 August 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=31820&cid=52&p=29.08.2008 (in English)

President Medvedev Extends Thanks To the Russian Olympians Who Competed In Beijing

President Medvedev extended thanks to the Russian Olympic competitors in Beijing. At a Kremlin meeting with the team on Saturday, he singled out the three girls who swept the tennis podium and pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva who set a new world record in her sport. He also praised the wrestlers, the gymnasts, and the synchronised-swimmers. The President also spoke about government plans to encourage achievement and mass involvement in sport. Russia’s medal haul in Beijing is 23 gold, 21 silver, and 28 bronze medals. The count makes this country third after China and the United States.

30 August 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=31867&cid=52&p=30.08.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Sharapova Blames Her Doctors for Missing US Open and Olympics

Maria Sharapova (1987- ), Russian world championship tennis star

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova said on Friday that her doctors were to blame for giving her an incorrect diagnosis, which deprived her of a chance to play in the US Open and Beijing Olympics. The 21-year-old tennis player withdrew from the WTA Rogers Cup in Montréal in late July because of a shoulder injury after a marathon second-round win over Marta Domachowska of Poland. A scan revealed two small tears in her right shoulder. She later said, “It hurts me so much to miss the Olympics and the U.S. Open. I think this will be the first grand slam I have ever missed. I had been playing with the pain for a rather long time”, Sharapova said on her Russian-language website. “Even in everyday life, during sleep, I felt it [the pain]“.

The Russian tennis star is currently doing extensive rehab and strength work in Arizona. The treatment is due to last several months. “I knew that this was more than just inflammation. It’s a pity that the doctors failed to make the correct diagnosis”, Sharapova said, adding that the right diagnosis would have shortened the recovery time. Sharapova is now No. 5 in the Women’s Tennis Association world rankings, just below Russia’s Elena Dementieva who won an Olympic gold medal in the final of the women’s singles in Beijing.

29 August 2008

http://en.rian.ru/sports/20080829/116387339.html (in English)

RIA-Novosti

There shall be a Molieben at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to Pray for the Success of the Russian Paralympians

Russian Paralympian at the 2004 games. Ura! Rossiya, vpered! Russia, forward!

Moscow, 26 August 2008 (Interfax):

The Russian Paralympians shall gather before their departure for the XIIIth Paralympic Games in Beijing for a molieben in the lower church of the Transfiguration at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow to pray for success in their athletic endeavours. The molieben shall be held on Friday, 29 August, and shall be served by Bishop Amvrosy of Bronnitsky. After the service, there shall be a formal reception for the athletes, at which Vladyki Amvrosy shall pass on to them the blessing and benediction of Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia, the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate reported on Tuesday.

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, the largest Orthodox church in the world. The Church of the Transfiguration is the lower church of this cathedral. It was chosen for the molieben due to its easier access for the wheelchair-bound.

Traditionally, the Paralympic Games (international sports competition for the physically-handicapped: Interfax) are held after the Olympic Games, and, since 1992, they are held in the same city. In 2001, this arrangement was formalised through an agreement between the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees. The summer Paralympic Games have been held since 1960, and the winter Paralympic Games were added in 1976. In practise, the Paralympiad is as significant an event as the Olympiad itself. The name “Paralympics” is formed from the Greek prefix “para”, meaning “near”, and the last two syllables of the world “Olympics”. By this, one can see the equality in stature of the two competitions.

The invention of this form of sport for the physically-handicapped is credited to the English neurosurgeon Ludwig Gutman, who, in defiance of hoary stereotypes concerning physically-handicapped people, introduced sport into the rehabilitation regimen of patients with spinal-cord injuries. It was found that sport for the handicapped created conditions for successful vital activity, restored mental equilibrium, and made it possible for many to return to a productive life.

The summer Paralympiad shall be held this year in Beijing from 6 to 17 September, and the winter games are scheduled for Vancouver from 12 to 21 March 2010.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=26190 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

The Paralympics are NOT a form of “Special Olympics”. They are serious sport events with no slack cut for anyone. It is as hard to win a medal at the Paralympics as it is at the Olympics. It is NOT a pity-party.

To the competitors: Good luck and Godspeed to all of you! 

Russian Olympians Returned to the Motherland from Beijing

The athletes of the Russian Olympic team returned to Moscow from Beijing. Journalists, fans, and family-members who had sat glued to the Olympic broadcasts for two weeks, met our heroes at the airport. An orchestra, a sea of flowers, an ovation, traditional Russian bread-and-salt, and even a roast milk-fed suckling pig… this was how our Olympic team was greeted by the motherland. The athletes were not expecting such a joyous and boisterous welcome; so, they gladly posed for photos with fans and gave out their autographs. Leonid Tyagachev, the President of the Russian Olympic Committee, was the first to enter the terminal building, which was decorated with Olympic symbols, Russian flags, and bright posters, accompanied by the sounds of a sprightly march and cries of, “Rossiya, vpered!” (Russia, forward!)

He thanked the fans for their support and the Olympians for their mighty effort. “After a very hard struggle, we won the third place in the unofficial medals count. We won 23 gold medals at the games in Beijing, and I must say that our team showered a rain of Olympic gold for our fans in the last five days. I am sure that the show given by our Olympians pleased both the spectators and all lovers of sport around the world”.

To win any medal… this is a hard task, especially at the present Olympiad, where the level of competition was so high. Even four-time Olympic champions Anastasia Yermakova and Anastasia Davydova noted that they had never experienced such a high level of stress before. However, they appreciated the steadfast support they felt from the fans. “At first, when you are underwater, you can’t make it out, but, it’s wonderful when you hear the fans roar in enthusiasm”, Anastasia Davydova said. “Maybe half of the seats were filled by the Russian fans. Therefore, we didn’t lack for applause”.  

In a couple of days, there is going to be another meeting for the Russian Olympians, this time, at the highest level. On 30 August, there shall be a formal reception for all the athletes with President Dmitri Medvedev. Then, the Olympians are going to take some time to rest, and after that, they intend to start training for the next Olympiad, scheduled for 2012 in London.  

26 August 2008

Svetlana Kalmykova

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=81589&cid=25&p=26.08.2008 (in Russian)

Our Russian Olympians in Beijing Deserve a “Well Done”

Yelena Isinbayeva (1982- ), Olympic gold-medallist, holder of 24 world’s records in the pole-vault

Our Russian Olympians in Beijing deserve a “well done” according to Leonid Tyagachev, the President of the Russian Olympic Committee. On the last day of the competition, the Russian team won two gold medals and clinched third place in the medals standings after China and the USA. “The first winners were the Russian artistic gymnasts in the group exercises. Then, lightweight boxer Aleksei Tishchenko brought the 23^rd gold into the kitty. Besides the golds, Russian athletes won 21 silvers and 28 bronzes. In some things, the team was in top form, but, in others, it only proved an also-ran. We won 72 medals, a bit less than our original estimate of at least 80 medals. Nevertheless, we set ourselves high goals, and our athletes strived to reach them”, Mr Tyagachev said.

Gennady Shvets, the press secretary of the Russian Olympic Committee, gave an exclusive interview to VOR and he summed up the achievements of the Russian Olympians in Beijing. “The fierce inter-team competition in the unofficial medals standing was dramatic. At one time, we were only in 16^th place, and there were those who believed that we could never make it to third place. I can tell you, for a long time, it wasn’t ‘all gold’. It was only yesterday, on the next-to-the-last day of the Games that we surged ahead of Great Britain in the number of medals.

However, it was not merely a matter of cold figures. The fact is, we have real heroes on our team. In particular, the number-one in fan acclaim was Yelena Isinbayeva, when she competed in the pole-vault. Certainly, there was the American swimmer Mark Phelps, but, swimming, let’s be frank, is less dramatic than Yelena leaping into the sky before 100,000 spectators setting a new world’s record. This was absolutely beautiful, a breath-taking virtuoso performance. After this victory, all the television networks all over the world chased after Yelena.

Buvaisar Saitiev (1977- ), three-time Olympic wrestling gold-medallist

The same was true of Buvaisar Saitiev, they chased after him as well. After all, he became a three-time Olympic wrestling champion. Synchronised-swimmers Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Yermakova became four-time Olympic champions in their sport. For the first time in the history of the Olympiads, women’s marathon swimming was on the programme, and Russian Larisa Ilchenko became the first Olympic champion in this competition.

This Olympiad showed where the problems in the Russian sport programme are. It is obvious that we have to have more depth on our team; we have to concentrate more on training. We have to build many more sport facilities, for Russia greatly lags behind the USA and China, not to mention the other countries in the top ten, in this area”.

Today, in the closing ceremonies of the Games, the Russian flag-bearer shall be Andrei Silnov, gold-medallist in the high-jump. He was one of the sensations of the competition, despite this being his début performance. Silnov demonstrated a flawless technique and a relentless determination to win; he practically left his rivals no chance for the gold.   

25 August 2008

Konstantin Garibov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=81316&cid=25&p=24.08.2008 (in Russian)