Tuesday, 4/15/97 Bringing Russian folk heritage to U.S. Rural
traditions, culture obscured by nationalist Soviet rule preserved
via villagers, musicologists
By Ismael Osuna Daily Bruin Contributor This may be the last
chance for Americans to witness the serendipitous dance of a
genuine babushka. Dancing Babushkas (Russian for grandmothers) are
one of the main attractions in tonight’s "Russian Village
Festival." Performing a variety of traditional Russian folk dances,
these babushkas are nearing their 80s and the end of their touring
years. Tonight the Babushkas and seven other groups will be
performing at the Veteran’s Wadsworth Theater. "The Russian Village
Festival" presents an eclectic fair of original folk traditions and
customs unique to their own particular region of Russia and
neighboring countries, which extend as far back in history as the
13th century. The home villages of these groups are in different
areas of the countryside: from regions which extend beyond the
Arctic Circle to areas surrounding Chernobyl and the northernmost
parts of Asia. Their traditions reflect the cultural history of
such diverse societies. Producer David Eden says that his own
fascination with the long-standing traditions of the Slavic peoples
is what brought about such a unique show. "I’ve done other shows
(with Russian folk themes) in the past, but this one is the most
ambitious yet," Eden says. And it’s easy to see why. The show
includes the customs, rituals, legends, epics and songs of seven
different villages. Each is performed by a variety of different
members of the troupe who range in age from 21 to 79. All of the
members are experts in their own fields of performance; whether
their expertise was gained through years of knowledge and practice
in the village from which they come, or by studying these varied
musical styles in school, depends on which group is on stage at the
time. For example, the Mokosha group from Bryansk is composed of
musicologists who study these national treasures, Eden explains.
"They keep alive these ancient traditions from the same or
surrounding regions that they come from." These groups have passed
down traditions from generation to generation, in some cases merely
through the word of mouth, in order to keep these traditions alive.
The Rostov-on-Don group in particular consists of descendants of
the people from the Don Cossack region, who have inherited the
songs they perform from their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
The other cultures represented in this performance are kept alive
through the efforts of local village folk ensembles and
musicologists alike. But despite these efforts, much of the rural
Russian culture has been hidden or diminished over the centuries.
"It’s not that these traditions were lost," Eden says. "It’s that
they were homogenized into a national culture under the Soviet
rule, blurring the lines of distinctions between several unique
cultures." Preston Keat, a graduate student with the Center for
Eastern European and Russian Studies, believes that due to
isolation between Americans and Russians during the Cold War, there
are large misconceptions about the Russian culture. "The belief
that Soviet rule was such an omnipotent power with the ability of
mind control over its people is overdone. ‘The Russian Village
Festival’ is an example of how a people didn’t succumb, and their
culture wasn’t wiped out," Keat says. Alex Tatiyants, a former
citizen of the Soviet Union and a second-year computer science
major at UCLA, agrees. "Soviet culture and tradition in Russia was
considered the predominant culture, and a village’s unique
traditions were certainly blurred, but they still existed,"
Tatiyants explains. In the early stage of Soviet rule, traditions
were meshed together to bring about a new nationalism that united a
people of one country with one culture. For that reason cultural
folk traditions were reworked and set on stage to be performed for
Russian audiences in order to teach them what their culture was.
Eden wants to break with these false representations of the past
and stage a genuine theatrical performance of true Russian
folklore. "With this show we want to recapture those lost ancient
traditions," Eden says. The festival highlights untouched unique
traditions for those who may know nothing about Russian culture
except the common stereotypes. Eden wants to shatter the ideology
created by Americans and bring a new understanding of Russian
culture to people. "This is a choreographed folk show," Eden says.
"Other folk shows that have been around in the past were mediocre
and uninspired by true Russian folk tradition. We want to recapture
that tradition, that’s why this show is serious and exciting."
CULTURE: The Russian Village Festival takes place at 8 p.m. tonight
at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater. Tickets are $25, $22 and $9 for
students. For more information, call 825-2101. UCLA Center for the
Performing Arts The ‘Russian Village Festival’ celebrates song and
dance from the northern Russian countryside at the Veteran’s
Wadsworth Theater. Due to isolation … there are large
misconceptions about the Russian culture. External link:
Russian Folk Dance