As the nation's eleventh largest school district, Dallas Independent School District serves more than 160,000 students who come from homes where 58 different languages are spoken. Operating with a $1 billion dollar budget, DISD employs 18,613 employees including 10,000 teachers in 220 schools.
14 Feb 2001
District Students, Renowned Russian Artists To Share Festival Stage
Dallas-based Russian American Center (RAC) will present its fifth annual Russian Festival, Sunday, February 25 at 4 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm Street. The festival includes a gala concert with performances by visiting and local Russian and American ballerinas, art exhibits, and a tribute to artists, educators and community leaders for their outstanding support to the promotion of Russian traditions. A reception will follow the concert.
A greeting from former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, delivered by Gorbachev's special advisor Viktor Mironenko, will kick-off the festival. Gorbachev Foundation certificates will be presented to Dallas teacher Tatiana Zimakova, president and founder of the Russian American Center; the creators of Russian World, a Dallas Independent School District Distance Learning Program; and two youth who have excelled in Russian language studies – Chiyo Johnson, a student at Skyline High School, and Lisa Walker, a student at Collin County Community College.
Top performers will share the stage with members of the Dallas Independent School District Russian choir. Festival director Zimakova says, "Though all participants of the concert are wonderful and talented artists, we expect that again as it was in the past, one of the highlights will be our children." Approximately 60 elementary and high school students will perform folk and modern songs in Russian creating their own unique and unforgettable style by combining beautiful Russian music and words with TexMex and African American cultures and traditions of singing and dancing," added Zimakova.
In addition, the gala event will feature guest stars Elena Martinson and Andrei Ustinov, formerly with Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. They now live in St. Petersburg, Florida where they founded the Chamber Ballet Company and opened a school of classical ballet. "I like to perform in Dallas," says Ustinov. "I started my American dancing career here and since that time I fell in love with this city and its people." Ustinov and Martinson will perform Pas de deux from "The Nutcracker." Russian violinist Vadim Tchijik, a graduate student at SMU, will perform Georgian folk music. He is a prize-winner of many international violin competitions including the prestigious Paganini Competition 2000 and Tchaikovshy Competition 1992.
Shannon Beacham, guest artist from Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, will perform the Russian dance Trepak from "The Nutcracker." Inspired by Russian culture and Russian dancers, Shannon studies Russian at Collin County Community College. At this festival he will receive an award for his excellent achievements in Russian language and culture studies.
Russian-born American ballet star, Madame Nathalie Krassovska, will present students of Krassovska Ballet Jeunesse of Dallas. They will perform Moonlight Sonata with live music of Ludwig van Beethoven by Juliette Buchanan, harpist as well as premiere of Raimonda Suites (Divertissement). Famous choreographer Marius Petipa first presented this ballet on music by Alexander Glazounov at Marynsky Theatre at St. Petersburg in 1898. It was revived by Alexandra Danilova and George Balanchine for Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1946. Madame Krassovska shared the role of Raimonda with Madame Danilova and was hailed as a "very pretty and graceful".
Other festival participants include Dallas-based folk group, Zorya Ukranian Dance Ensemble, which will perform Poltava Suite, and opera singer Larisa Kholodnaya. Soprano Kholodnaya with Juliette Buchanan, harpist, and Olga McNeill, flutist, will perform songs by great Russian composers Sergei Rachmaninoff and Nikolai Rimskyi-Korsakoff.
The Festival also will feature a tribute to the Kimbell Art Museum for its exhibit Stroganoff: The Palace and Collections of a Russian Noble Family and to Buckner Orphan Care International for its Outstanding Work in Russian orphanages. Lifetime Achievement in Education award will be presented to Charles McDowell, Director of the Center for Post Soviet and East European Studies, at the University of Texas at Arlington.
For tickets, call Ticketmaster, 214-373-8000 or metro 972-647-5700. For more information call 1-800-687-1256.