It's rumored that you can reduce even the toughest Russian to tears by reproducing just a few lines of Pushkin's poetry. Whether true or not, it just goes to show how the tradition of arts and letters has a central place in Russian culture. Some of that tradition has made its way to Beijing in the shape of a culture festival. The event is organized by the China Performing Arts Agency and is being held to mark the 110th anniversary of the death of the great Russian composer, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky.
Three of Russia's best performing arts companies, the Ballet Moiseyev, the Kuban Kazak Dance Ensemble and the Caraian Jazz Company, showed what has made them great in Beijing on the night of October 29.
The musical side of the festival turns the spotlight on both classic and folk styles, as well as modern and ethnic genres.
Prize-winning artists at the Tchaikovsky International Music Competition, and a dozen top Russian vocalists also took to the stage. They even came up with a rendition of a Chinese folk masterpiece "My Motherland".
The Moiseyev Dance Ensemble usually concentrates on Russian folk dances but this time they offered both traditional and newly-created pieces.
Chinese people born around the 1940s have been greatly influenced by Russian culture. The festival gives them a chance to recall those sights and sounds and offers a new generation the opportunity to fall in love with the Russian soul.
(CCTV.com November 3, 2003)
