'Russian Village' makes A2 stop

Sixty-five dancers, singers and musicians will fill the Michigan Theater's stage tonight in "Russian Village: Rituals and Celebrations of the Russian People." After opening at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last weekend with enthusiastic reviews, "Russian Village" graces Ann Arbor for only one performance.

PREVIEW
	Russian Village Tonight at 8 p.m. Michigan Theater Tickets are available at the UMS box office

The show combines seven authentic Russian folk ensembles presenting traditional music, dances, and rituals sharing a Slavic heritage that has remained intact and relatively undiscovered throughout Russia's tumultuous history. The groups are a combination of villagers presenting familial songs and dances and companies established for the purpose of preserving and revitalizing their own folk traditions.

"'Russian Village' is different from what people see in theatrical groups," explained David Eden, the show's producer. In many theatrical performances, the folk culture of different regions has been homogenized into a single Russian culture. But in "Russian Village," each group distinguishes itself with songs and dances distinct to its village.

Having done similar projects before, Eden visited villages throughout different regions in Russia to find the best groups for this production. The groups will each present authentic pieces that have survived for centuries in their families, passed down orally for generations upon generations. Eden emphasized the strong sense of history and ritual in the presentations. "Traditions were not destroyed, not even in the Stalinist era. Traditions continued."

Among these traditions are a diverse range of popular cultures, ranging from The Northern Pearls, a group from the Archangelsk region in the north to the Dorozovsky Folk Ensemble from the Bryansk region, located near Chernobyl. Also from Bryansk, the Mokosha Ensemble is a group of young musicians and musicologists dedicated to preserving the music and dances of this region. From Rostov-on-Don, Volnitsa (Freemen), a group descended from the Don Cossacks, will share songs dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The 10-member ensemble performs the songs in the same way that they have been historically performed on Cossack farmsteads.

Special guest Liubov Smolenskaya, from the Keivraga village of the Pinega Region, will perform a wedding lament that few villagers know. Eden said this piece of music influenced Stravinsky.

Even though the Russian ensembles did not know each other well or had not met at all before this tour, the groups have merged together well, thriving on the positive energy, warm response and "unbelievable acceptance," according to Eden, that the tour has received thus far.

Many of the "Russian Village" participants, who range in age from 19 to 79, have never been to America before. The Podserednie Ensemble, established in 1950, from the banks of the Tikhaya Sosna River, took part in the cultural program of the 1980 Olympic games.

The tour, which includes Washington, D.C., Kansas and Arizona, is a chance for the folk performers to see what goes on in the place that many refer to as the "new country." Eden said that members of his production are curious to see the White House and to discover what is Slavic about America.

More than just being entertaining and, at many times, humorous, "Russian Village" is a sharing of folk culture and carefully preserved traditions that very few Americans and Russians have ever seen. While many of the performers have been singing these songs for decades in their villages, Eden is the first to bring them to America, making their culture more accessible and showing audiences the importance of preservation. "'Russian Village' is a once in a lifetime opportunity," he explained.

04-11-97