Festival "Unity": music that unites peoples

On November 8, the festival of children's musical groups "UNITY" dedicated to the Day of National Unity was held at the OKC of VAO "Mossovet" of Metrogorodok district.

It has become a real celebration of creativity, national cultures and friendship, bringing together young artists of different nationalities and cultures on one stage to tell about the traditions of their peoples through music, songs and dances and show how art helps people to better understand each other.

The festival was organized by the Center for Support of Educational Programs “Opening” and the Public Organization “Face to Face: Promoting Dialogue of Religions and Cultures”. The event was held with the support of the Prefecture of the Eastern Administrative District of Moscow and with the assistance of the Regional Jewish National and Cultural Autonomy of Moscow.

The festival became another example of how joint efforts of public organizations and support from city structures help create a space for interethnic dialogue, acquaintance with the cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia and creative communication of children.

An important part of the festival were greetings sent to its organizers, participants and guests.

His greeting was sent by V.I. Suchkov, Head of the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of the City of Moscow. The Day of National Unity reminds of the importance of common moral guidelines and traditional values that allow the peoples of Russia to preserve their identity and at the same time feel part of a single nation.

He noted that national unity is the basis for the existence of a multinational and multi-confessional state, connecting the past, present and future of the country. Cohesion helps to preserve national identity, resist destructive influences and cope with difficulties.

Separately, the greeting noted the importance of the festival “UNITY”, which brings together representatives of different nationalities and religions on one platform, gives the audience the opportunity to share the joy of the holiday and touch the rich cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia – what lives in their songs, music and dances. In conclusion, V.I. Suchkov wished the participants new creative success, festive mood and all the best.

Vladimir Sternfeld, Chairman of the Council of the Public Organization “Face to Face: Promoting Dialogue of Religions and Cultures” sent his greeting to the participants of the festival.

In his address, he stressed the special importance of the festival for an organization that has been promoting dialogue between representatives of different religions and cultures for many years. Mutual respect, trust and understanding are born primarily in live communication, in acquaintance with each other's culture and traditions. Music is a universal language that does not need translation and can transcend any boundaries.

Vladimir Sternfeld noted that the festival opens new venues every year, introduces viewers to new creative teams and allows you to see the richness of cultures of the peoples of Russia. It is especially important that the main characters of this holiday are children. After all, unity does not consist in being the same, but in the ability to appreciate and respect each other, preserving their own culture and traditions.

Welcome to the participants and organizers of the festival was also received from the House of Peoples of Russia, which was another confirmation of the importance of projects aimed at strengthening interethnic harmony, preserving cultural heritage and developing dialogue between peoples.

On behalf of the organizers, the executive director of the organization “Face to Face: Promoting Dialogue of Religions and Cultures” Victoria Engel addressed the guests. She stressed that the festival is a celebration of creativity, respect for traditions and mutual inspiration.

The concert program was truly diverse. On the stage came vocal and dance groups, choirs, ensembles of folk art. Each room opened the audience something new: introduced to the national melodies, dance traditions and musical heritage of different peoples.

One of the first were Olesya Kotovich and the dance group of the Roman Koval Producer Center. Their numbers "Together" and "Bird" set a festive mood and became a bright start to the concert program.

A special place in the program was occupied by the performances of the choirs “Shokhikner” (“Luchiki”) and “Ovsanna” of the Spiritual and Educational Center “Ayordeats Tun” of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Under the leadership of Elena Beglaryan, young performers presented the works of Armenian composers: “Morning” Komitas, “Erebuni Yerevan” by Edgar Ohanesyan, “Hometown” by Arno Babajanyan. There was also a jazz treatment of familiar “Moscow evenings”.

Family center "Radonezh" presented the team "Joy and tenderness" under the leadership of Olesya Tikhova. The audience saw several diverse numbers - "Tenderness", "Tarantella", "Puppet Secret" and "Wings of the Angel".

His art was also presented by the team “Bogorodsky lace” under the leadership of Ulyana Nedelitsyna.

The real decoration of the festival was the performance of the Mziuri ensemble, which is led by Elena Kavteladze. The repertoire of the collective includes dances of the peoples of Georgia, the North Caucasus, Jewish and Bulgarian dances, as well as classical choreography. Each room was distinguished by expressiveness and a special national color.

Especially bright and incendiary was the Jewish dance “Hava Nagila”. The familiar melody, rapid rhythm, temperamental movements and festive energy instantly captivated the audience. The incendiary nature of the dance seemed to invite everyone to share the joy of what was happening. This issue became one of those moments when music and dance particularly clearly demonstrated how the culture of one people becomes close and understandable to people of different nationalities.

The choral studio of ANO “Service – Friendship” under the leadership of Almaz Zairova, concertmaster Shems Timurova, performed the songs “Benovsha”, “Friend With Us” and “Kendimiz”.

Georgian dance culture was presented by the Moscow ensemble of Georgian dance "Iberia" under the leadership of Georgy Valerianovich Kiria. His performance – “Caucasian Ballad” – became another bright dance episode of the program.

The color of the national art of Kyrgyzstan, the audience saw in the performance of the ensemble “Kun Bala” (“Children of the Sun”) under the leadership of Damira Kazakpayeva. The team presented the dance “Jalyn biy”, as well as a fragment of the epic “Manas” performed by the narrator Alinur Talgarbek uulu.

We continued to get acquainted with the musical traditions of the peoples of the performances of the ensemble of Varganists “Umay”, who performed “Kuuu melody” and “Toktoguldun kerbezi”.

The children’s theater of the song “Kalina” under the leadership of Maria Nekalina pleased the audience with the songs “Seeds”, “Like behind our yard” and “Oh, a thin thread”.

Dance ensemble “SERVICE – Friendship” presented the numbers “My Azerbaijan” and “Maki”, conveying to the audience the beauty and originality of the Azerbaijani dance tradition.

Folk songs of the Kaluga province and the Cossacks of the Upper Don were performed by the Meadow Ring collective – the Semireki group. The band was created by Natalia Ragrina; the leaders are Natalia Ragrina and Lyudmila Bakhmat, the concertmaster is Nikolai Kurakov. In the program also sounded everyone’s favorite “Kalinka”.

Representatives of the Youth Parliament of Moscow held an informative master class dedicated to the diversity of the peoples of Russia for participants and spectators. In an interactive form, the children were able to get acquainted with the peculiarities of national cultures and traditions.

The holiday ended with a general finale: all the bands united on stage to perform the song “This is my Motherland” to the words of Vicky Tsyganova and the music of Igor Slutsky. This moment became a symbolic result of the festival – different voices, traditions and cultures, united by a love of creativity and their country, met on the same stage.

After the speech, the participants received well-deserved awards and gratitude.

The festival "UNITY" became a vivid testimony to how much in common can unite people of different nationalities and cultures.