Tales from Russia

The troupe is spearheaded by Madame Natalia Pivovarova,president of the Interregional Public Organisation,Continental Cultures Achievement Assembly. Pivovarova’s primary job is to search talented dance groups across Russia and take them on a tour to various countries for performances. After their recent performance in Pune,Exiton will be travelling to Trivendrum.

Pivovarova discovered Exiton at a cultural programme in Russia,where they gave a performance on traditional folk dances with a modern twist. “Their performance consists of 15 dances,which are like different plays that show the way people live in Russia. Since the group is made up of children and teenagers,the dance dramas are humorous most of the time,” describes Pivovarova. The choreography and costume designing is done by Helena Barchaites,a professional Russian dancer from Ulyanovsk.

Prior to presenting the show in India,the troupe had performed in Turkey,Austria and Germany. “The dance sequences and themes remain common for all the performances,” adds Pivovarova. The show is a delightful mix of Russian folk dances like Barynya,Kamarinskaya,Khorovod and more. The dances are modernised with acrobatics and contemporary freestyle over a range of themes.

“One of the dance sequences is themed on how the human spirit must always fly high and above everything that tries to shoot it down. It shows the indomitable spirit of Russia,” explains Pivovarova. There are dances about sailors,the courage with which they would travel across the turbulent waters,the bond they share together and also the fun they have on the deck. There is also a dance themed on young love. “Three couples romance it out on the stage,with beautiful lifts and twirls. The act finally ends with the boys holding the hands of the girls and proposing love on bended knee,” she adds.

Pivovarova stresses that the performances of children leaves the audience with a nostalgic feeling and takes them back to the time when they were young. “The message we want to give to the audience is that one can find fun in everything they do,” says Pivovarova.