Photo
January 10, 2012
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For Russians, Free So, as I was saying, the thing that topped off my experience at the “Bagatitsa” Cossack Concert was this: It was the second time in my trip I got ‘the Russian discount’ on something. (The first time, you may remember, was at Peterhof.) We came out of the concert and a few of the dancers were taking pictures with tourists. I might add that pretty much everyone in attendance was a tourist, which was kind of disappointing. They had a sign up that said “Photos: $2 or €2” (I think that’s about how much they were - I don’t remember exactly.) Obviously, the thrill of the discount isn’t saving the $2, it’s passing for Russian. So I asked (in Russian) how many rubles it was and they said, “For Russians, Free”. Okay! So I got mistaken for a being Russian and got this cool picture! My only regret in this situation was that I held back from speaking very much because I didn’t want to give myself away as a non-Russian. In hindsight, I should have just risked it - it would have been worth a nice chat with a couple Cossacks. What do you think - do I pass for a Cossack?

For Russians, Free

So, as I was saying, the thing that topped off my experience at the “Bagatitsa” Cossack Concert was this:

It was the second time in my trip I got ‘the Russian discount’ on something. (The first time, you may remember, was at Peterhof.) We came out of the concert and a few of the dancers were taking pictures with tourists. I might add that pretty much everyone in attendance was a tourist, which was kind of disappointing.

They had a sign up that said “Photos: $2 or €2” (I think that’s about how much they were - I don’t remember exactly.) Obviously, the thrill of the discount isn’t saving the $2, it’s passing for Russian.

So I asked (in Russian) how many rubles it was and they said, “For Russians, Free”. Okay! So I got mistaken for a being Russian and got this cool picture! My only regret in this situation was that I held back from speaking very much because I didn’t want to give myself away as a non-Russian. In hindsight, I should have just risked it - it would have been worth a nice chat with a couple Cossacks.

What do you think - do I pass for a Cossack?

Tags: 2010 Russia Trip St. Petersburg Cossack Dancing

Photoset
January 09, 2012
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Багатица!

I think I have been putting this post off because it was such a wonderful experience, I just don’t know how I can do it justice. This was, by far, the highlight of our trip.

First of all, I faced my fear of going into one of the various ticket booths, and actually arranged plans with someone in Russian. (It’s not that I was so afraid of the ticket booths in particular, but any ‘customer service’ transaction (and I use the phrase ‘customer service’ very loosely) in Russia can be quite the challenge - especially if you’re Russian’s not perfect.

Actually, it ended up that the scariest part wasn’t talking to the lady, but was when an armored truck driver dressed in camo and carrying a machine gun stopped by to pick up a deposit. (I really wanted to take a picture…but thought better of it.) 

But anyway, we stopped by the ticket booth, not knowing what we were looking for, but right away I saw 2 Cossack Concerts and chose Багатица. (I have no idea what Багатица means, by the way - I think it is just the name of their ensemble. Anyone know otherwise?)

So, we attended the concert, and it was just wonderful. I don’t know how to describe it. They obviously love what they do and put a lot of energy and spirit into it. Plus, if you’ve ever seen a Cossack concert, how can you not love it? And if you haven’t, please do as soon as possible!

The one thing that topped it all off was…well, this post is getting a little long, you’ll have to check back tomorrow.

Tags: 2010 Russia Trip St. Petersburg Cossack Dancing

Video
December 19, 2011
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Elf Party - Hey!

This weekend, we had what is becoming a tradition in our ‘household’ - our annual “Elf Party”: basically a Christmas gathering, during which we watch one of the best movies ever, Elf.

If you haven’t seen it, you’re really missing out. And here’s is one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies: Buddy the Elf puts some “syrup” in his coffee and is inspired to do an impromptu Russian dance, right in the middle of the shiny mail room.

What do you think of his Russian dance skills?

Tags: movies dancing

Photo
November 30, 2011
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Lezginka! Last Friday I was lucky enough to attend a Lezginka workshop sponsored by Russkiy Mir of Washington DC. What’s Lezginka? It’s the national dance of the Caucasus region. Each area has it’s own variation. We learned the Kabardinian, as that’s where our young dance-instructor couple (shown here) is from. The version we learned is the dance of a love story. There are three parts. During the first part, the Kafa*, the woman is very shy, barely making eye contact with the man as he dances around her. The second part is called the Laparisa*. This is where the two start to show off a bit more - especially the man. This was definitely the most fun to dance as it involved some of the quick footwork you’ll see in the video below. The third part, the Witch* is where the two finally get to be together (after getting the family’s permission, of course). This is the only part of the dance where the couple touches. (*These spellings are my best guesses, as I could not find a reliable source with this information printed, so corrections are welcome!) Check out this video to see a sample of the Lezginka. And don’t forget: Now through Friday, you can enter to WIN a copy of First 1000 Words in Russian! Click here for details!

Lezginka!

Last Friday I was lucky enough to attend a Lezginka workshop sponsored by Russkiy Mir of Washington DC.

What’s Lezginka? It’s the national dance of the Caucasus region. Each area has it’s own variation. We learned the Kabardinian, as that’s where our young dance-instructor couple (shown here) is from.

The version we learned is the dance of a love story. There are three parts. During the first part, the Kafa*, the woman is very shy, barely making eye contact with the man as he dances around her. The second part is called the Laparisa*. This is where the two start to show off a bit more - especially the man. This was definitely the most fun to dance as it involved some of the quick footwork you’ll see in the video below.

The third part, the Witch* is where the two finally get to be together (after getting the family’s permission, of course). This is the only part of the dance where the couple touches. (*These spellings are my best guesses, as I could not find a reliable source with this information printed, so corrections are welcome!)

Check out this video to see a sample of the Lezginka.

And don’t forget: Now through Friday, you can enter to WIN a copy of First 1000 Words in Russian! Click here for details!

Tags: Washington DC Dancing events

Photoset
September 30, 2011
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Here’s a quick look at the great time I had at the 35th Annual Baltimore Ukrainian Festival 2 weeks ago… definitely looking forward to going again next year: September 8th and 9th 2012. (These people are organized!)

Tags: Ukrainian Food and drink Dancing Churches festivals events