The event series "World of Poetry" launched at the National Centre RUSSIA

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On April 13, the new "World of Poetry" event series was launched at the National Centre RUSSIA with an introduction to the works of Anna Akhmatova and a workshop on speech technique. The creative meeting "World of Poetry: Speak Like Akhmatova" was held as part of the project "Masterpieces. The Best of Russia" and brought together participants of all ages.

"It’s wonderful that you come to us as families. This is very important to us. After all, the National Centre RUSSIA was created by our President, among other things, to preserve traditional values, to allow us all to see the achievements of our country, to feel pride — and, of course, to look toward the future. One cycle of the ‘Masterpieces. The Best of Russia’ project has already taken place. Together, we painted like Kandinsky, Vrubel, and other great artists. And today we are launching a new cycle — devoted to poetry. We begin with Anna Akhmatova. She has a line in a poem that many know: ‘We have something to be proud of and something to cherish.’ And indeed, Russia truly has much to be proud of," said Anastasia Zvyagina, Deputy Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, addressing the participants.

In the first part of the meeting, guests learned more about Russian literature at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries through the lens of the life and works of Anna Akhmatova. Additionally, participants were presented with an interactive monologue performance "Close Your Eyes and Look": the poems of Akhmatova were masterfully and profoundly recited by actress of theater and cinema, musical director of the musical "Between Heaven and Earth", performer at the annual Musical Festival "X", actress of the acting-directing workshop of D. Belov (GITIS) Yekaterina Yeryomina.

"It seems to me that the phenomenon of Anna Akhmatova lies in her ability to choose just the right word, to discard everything unnecessary, and at the same time hit the soul of the reader very precisely," noted Yekaterina Yeryomina.

The second part of the event was dedicated to the secrets of beautiful and confident speech. Participants of the master class learned breathing techniques, how to place accents correctly, and how to make their speech more expressive. The skills gained will be useful not only on stage but also in life. The engaging session was conducted by speech, voice, and public speaking coach, TV presenter Yelena Reshetnikova.

"It’s encouraging that lately, we have been paying more attention to the Russian language, and a huge number of initiatives are aimed at popularizing the Russian word — our national treasure, our wealth. Today’s event is dedicated not only to poetry and the creative legacy of Anna Akhmatova, but to the art of the spoken word as a whole. One of my key goals as a speech coach is to help people overcome their fear of public speaking — to ensure their speech inspires, resonates, and delights others. The more we speak to each other in beautiful Russian, the better," said Yelena Reshetnikova.

"The Masterpieces. The Best of Russia" project was created by the National Centre RUSSIA to raise cultural awareness, foster national pride in the country’s achievements, and strengthen family traditions through art. The initiative has already featured a cycle of creative meetings dedicated to Russian painters. The new series, "World of Poetry," aims to popularize the legacy of the great Russian literary classics.

Workshops and other educational events at the National Centre RUSSIA are free to attend with prior registration at russia.ru. Up-to-date event information is available in the "Events" section.