Ethno-choreography: Exposition guests were shown the basics of Russian folk dance
A
masterclass in Russian partner folk dance was held at the RUSSIA EXPO. The
event was organized with the support of the "Istok"
("Source") project founded by actress and producer Sofya Ernst.
Anastasia Ragozina - singer, teacher, ethno-choreographer, deputy director for
project activities of the Moscow Institute for Creative Initiatives - helped
the participants of the masterclass to master partner folk dances.
"Household
partner folk dances were danced in the village environment, as a rule, during
summer games or winter festivities, during which non-family youth could observe
each other in order to create a couple. These dances were born from the salon
city culture, but the peasants liked them so much that they decided to adopt
their simplest forms. That's why everyone can learn to dance at our
masterclass, it's not difficult, because the basic movements and elements are
really very simple and repetitive," said Anastasia Ragozina.
For our
ancestors, partner folk dance was not only an attribute of the holiday, but
also a way to rest and relax after hard work, to express emotions, to survive
fatigue. Nowadays this folk dance can be a great alternative to club life, a
way to learn something new about dance culture and traditions. After all, many
members of the younger generation, for example, do not know how to twirl in a
waltz and have heard practically nothing about polka and quadrille, said
Anastasia Ragozina.
She also
told about the profession of ethno-choreographer. According to the specialist,
her main task is to reproduce traditional folk choreography as authentically as
possible, taking into account its regional traditions and peculiarities.
"We
are both theorists and practitioners. We ourselves go on expeditions to
different regions of the country, sit together with grandmothers, ask them
questions, shoot video when they show us what folk dances were like in their
area. We combine the information we receive into a kind of collective
experience, on the basis of which we build a system that allows us to teach
these dances to everyone - both children and adults," explained Anastasia
Ragozina.
At the
masterclass she told and showed how to move better to feel in the dance as
freely as possible and at the same time not to get confused in the movements.
In the future, participants of the masterclass will be able to hone their
skills at folk festivals, which will also be held at the RUSSIA EXPO as part of
the "Istok" project.
The performance took place as part of the international Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. New Platform for Global Growth."
One of the tracks of the Open Dialogue is "Investments in Human Capital." The pitch session on this topic brought together over 30 speakers.
One of the key topics for discussion within the initiative became "Investments in Connectivity," which attracted 24% of the essay authors about the future of the world.