Ayanangsha Maitra
New Delhi: A resplendent Russian folk dance troupe from Kostroma, the historic town by the Volga River in western Russia, stormed New Delhi’s stage with performances blending resilience and cultural heritage, as announced by Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov at the Global Dance Overture on Tuesday ahead of Holi, bringing together Indian and Russian culture. Far from a mere performance, the dance performance is an artistic canvas—from resilience to the vastness of Russian cultural heritage, Ambassador Alipov told the astonished, houseful audience.
The troupe, Russian National Ballet “Kostroma” has performed ballet and folk dances in as many as 50 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, England, Egypt, Germany, the UAE, and China, the dancers told TheNewsSite.in. The magical dance programme kicked off in New Delhi, timed perfectly with India’s BRICS presidency in presence of Vivek Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, former Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi and senior officials from the ministry of culture and defence. The embassy and Ministry of Culture jointly organized the cultural evening. The dance initiative, unveiled during the Kazan BRICS Summit 2024 where an arrangement was signed for folk dance to strengthen cultural ties, is supported by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, and International Humanitarian Cooperation, Ambassador Alipov said.
Russian ballet is widely cherished, highly technical, and deeply emotional art form characterized by dramatic storytelling, grand, sweeping, and expressive lines, and precise, high-extension coordinated rapid movements. Russian folk dances form a vibrant cornerstone of Russia’s cultural heritage, blending broad, energetic movements with poetic grace and regional diversity. Traceable to the 10th century, these dances evolved through regional influences shaped by migrations, trade, and invasions. Iconic features include men’s knee-bending squats (prisyadka), stomping, acrobatic splits, and rapid hand-claps against boots or thighs, paired with women’s fluid spins and round dances such as khorovod, typically set to lively 2/4 or 6/8 rhythms.
Performers don colourful, embroidered attire inspired by festive traditions—women in kokoshnik headdresses, sarafans, and aprons with red accents symbolising beauty; men in belted shirts, tight trousers, and high boots — adapted for stage mobility while retaining folk authenticity.
Khorovod: Ancient circular group dances with songs, often echoing rituals or dialogues.
Prisyadka: High-energy male squats and jumps set to brisk tempos.
Improvisational: Competitive solos showcasing daring tricks, common in rural festivities. Regional variations from ethnic groups such as the Kalmyks, known for animal-mimicking movements, and the Chukchi, noted for expressive pantomime, add further richness.
Speaking to TheNewsSite.in, Ivan Tsarenko, dancer and choreographer of Russian National Ballet Kostroma, said, “We tried Indian dance,” signalling the troupe’s bold pivot towards Bollywood attention and Indian collaboration.
“Culture is not same but values are same,” he emphasised, drawing parallels between Russian and Indian traditions. He noted that Instagram and TikTok are not available in Russia, so dances are not widely circulated on apps as they are elsewhere. “In extreme winter, we close to our culture,” Tsarenko added, likening it to Cuban and Indian similarities shaped by weather. “Nobody dance folks. Folk dance is about cultural history,” he concluded.
Read: How Classical dances shaping Bollywood?
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