Folk art

Subject / Art
AMATEUR AND FOLK ARTS. There are about 50 Amateur and Folk Arts Centres in the Leningrad Oblast, including Amateur Talent Centres (theatrical, musical and ethnographical amateur groups), Arts and Crafts Centres. About 2600 amateur and folk arts groups with 39000 members work in the Leningrad Oblast. Due to a wide network of culture and leisure centres and potential of their workers, diverse regional programmes of amateur and folk arts development are run in the Leningrad Obalst. A significant place in oblast amateur arts is occupied by festivals, contests and exhibitions. Skill level is demonstrated by increase in number of amateur groups bearing a status of “obraztsovy kollektiv” (“master group”) and “narodny kollektiv” (“public group”). In 2001 there were 294 such groups compared with 375 groups in 2005 and 383 groups in 2006. Theatre art. In 1980s there were 12 public theatres in the Leningrad Oblast (in the towns of Vyborg, Vsevolozhsk,Gatchina, Kirishi, Lodeynoye Pole, Luga, Lomonosov, Priozersk, Slantsi, Tikhvin and Staraya Ladoga Village). At present more than 300 theatre companies, including 35 drama theatres bearing a status of “narodny kollektiv” (“public group”), work in the obalst. There are 18 puppet theatres, bearing a status “obraztsovy kollektiv” (“master group”). Since the end of the XX century the number of children’s theatres and variety shows has been increasing. The range of theatre genres is extremely varied: from tragedy to musical, from classical comedy to show performance, farce and cabaret. Since 1980s the oblast theatre festivals have been held. Especially popular is the oblast festival “Teatralnya Vesna” (“Theatre Spring”), which is held once in two years in Luga Town. The first festival participants were public theatres from Luga Town, Staraya Ladoga Village, Tikhvin Town and Kingisepp Town. The festival acted as a powerful stimulus for development of amateur theatres. The festival of puppet theatres has been held in the oblast since 1980s: in Sosnoviy Bor Town; in Leskolovo Village, Vsevolozhsk District; in Slantsi Town. Special festivals of children’s theatre groups and variety shows are held. One of them is called “Igraiy, Teatr, Igraiy!” (“Perform, Theatre, Perform!”). The first festival took place in Kalitino Settlement, Volosovo District and after that it has been housed in the Centre of Social and Cultural Activities “Rodnik” (“Spring”) in Volosovo Town. Since 1998 an International festival of amateur theatres and theatres-studios “Avangard I Traditsiy” (“Vanguard and Traditions”) has been held in Gatchina Town with the assistance of the Russian Branch of International Amateur Theatres Association, the Union of Russian Theatre Workers, the Oblast and Town Culture Committees. The initiator and organizer of the festival is theatre “Za Uglom” (“Round the Corner”). Among the participants of the festival one could see theatres from Russia, the USA, Estonia, France, Lithuania, Germany, Island and Romania. The festival framework includes master-classes and practical conferences. Inter-regional festival of amateur theatres from remote places of Russia “Dramatichesky Etud” (“Drama Sketch”) is held in Lodeynoye Pole Town. Musical amateur performance is one of the most multi-genre kinds of amateur art. On the territory of the Leningrad Oblast brass bands and Russian folk orchestras are traditionally popular. From the middle of 1970s the festivals of wind instruments music were held, brass bands from different oblast towns took part in the festivals. Since 2000 an International jazz festival “Setyabr in Tikhvin” (“September in Tikhvin Town”) has been regularly held in Tikhvin Town. Since 2000 the oblast folk groups have taken part in the International festival of national culture “Mirovaya Derevnya” (“World Village”), which was organized on the initiative of Roshchino Urban Village, Vyborg District citizens and administration. Since the beginning of 1990s the festivals of singer poets, including the oblast festival of amateur composers and singer poets “Baltiyskiy Kray – Sudba Moya” (“The Baltic Land is My Destiny”), have been developed in the Leningrad Oblast. In the middle of 1990s pop music festivals “Pesny o Samom Glavnom” (“Songs About the Most Important Things”), “Kumiry XXI Veka” (“XXI Century Idols”) were held. Applied arts and crafts. At present 26 amateur art and applied art groups, bearing a status “narodny obraztsovy kollektiv” (“public master group”), work at the Leningrad Oblast culture institutions. They have more than 1500 members specializing in the following areas: art (painting, drawing, composition, plastic art), pottery, lace making, carving and painting on wood, making dolls, wickerwork , production of silver bark things, tapestry and handmade weaving, loom weaving, decorative handmade and machine-made embroidery, bead braiding, patchwork, soft toys, knitting and crocheting, collage, costume making, hot and cold smithery, floristics. The number of folk studios in the oblast is constantly increasing. The Leningrad Oblast Education and Methodology Centre of Culture and Art (LO EMC CA) purposefully works on development of applied arts and on increase in professional level of folk studios as well as independent craftsmen. The oblast art exhibitions with about 300 craftsmen-participants are held annually. Master-classes, contests for the best handicraft and for a status “luchshiy master” (“the best master”) also take place. As it was in 2004 in Tikhvin Town at the festival dedicated to recovery of Our Lady of Tikhvin icon, where craftsmen took part in two contests simultaneously – the oblast contest “Prinosheniye Svyatyne” (“Offerings to Shrine”) and All-Russia contest “Rus Masterovaya” (“Craftsmen’s Russia”). The Leningrad Oblast craftsmen annually take part in international exhibitions “Agrorus”, “Inveteks”, “Russkaya Derevnya” (“Russian Village”). Illarionova, Irina Nikolayevna
Neighbouring Territories/Estonia
Leningrad Oblast, the/Gatchina District/Gatchina Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Volosovo District/Kalitino Settlement
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kingisepp District/Kingisepp Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kirishi District/Kirishi Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vsevolozhsk District/Leskolovo Village
Leningrad Oblast, the/Lodeynoye Pole District/Lodeynoye Pole Town
Saint-Petersburg City/Lomonosov Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Luga District/Luga Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Podporozhye District
Leningrad Oblast, the/Priozersk District/Priozersk Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vyborg District/Roshchino Urban Village
Leningrad Oblast, the/Slantsi District/Slantsi Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Sosnovy Bor Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Volkhov District/Staraya Ladoga Village
Leningrad Oblast, the/Tikhvin District/Tikhvin Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Volosovo District/Volosovo Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vsevolozhsk District/Vsevolozhsk Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vyborg District/Vyborg Town
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""Around the Corner", the Amateur People Theatre
"Avant-Garde and Traditions", a theatre festival
"Baltic Land Is My Fate", festival of amateur composers and amateur bards
"Drama Sketch", a theatre festival
"Idols of the 21 nd century", festival
Learning - Methodical Centre of Culture and Art of the Leningrad Oblast
"Perform, theatre, perform", theatre festival
"Presentation for Sacred Object", competition
"Rodnik" ("Spring"), a city leisure centre
"September in Tikhvin Town", an International Jazz Festival
"Songs about the most important things", variety song festival
"The Theatre spring", an oblast festival
"World village", a festival