World of hobbies

In search of perfect hobby

On 27 September, the Blokhintsev Universal Library brought together participants of the Festival "Klever". Representatives of various creative clubs spoke about their organizations' activities. Performances and master classes were held in the halls and classrooms, allowing participants to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of various crafts. It became clear that there is a wealth of creative activity in the city. All that was left was to choose what someone liked.

Several art studios were present at the Festival: "Art Dusha", Natalia Kotomina's studio and the JINR Artists' Club "Quarks". These are for those who want to express their creative side through drawing. The ceramics studio "Davay lepi" offers applied arts for children and adults. Its main activity is the creation of cute household items: cups, plates, figurines and much more. "Davay Lepi" also runs a project of short daily stays for children with a series of activities during school holidays.

For those interested in theater and public performance, there's the Youth Theater Workshop "First membership" and the improvisation studio ProImproveDubna. "First membership" invites you to learn theater skills, including speech articulation. The minimum age limit is 16, with no age limit. Classes are free and require only your time and desire.

Several dance classes offer team memberships: "V Element", Pole Dance Studio, Philosophy Dance, Al-Andalus Flamenco Dance School, Tango Radiante Argentine Tango Club, Sharm Jazz Dance Studio and Christina Faber Tap Dance Studio.

Bodywork is offered by the TanZFlow healthy fitness and dance studio, aqua aerobics from the Sports Club "Olimp" and artistic stretching from Art Stretching.

The Roleplaying Club "Jackalope" offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in creativity, fencing, roleplaying and roleplaying trips. Here you can try on any character and era, both real and fantastical. The world of "The Lord of the Rings" is still a popular destination for game and costume creation.

The Sailing Club "Atom" announces its summer activities from 1 May to 30 September and winter activities from 30 September to 1 May. The Club offers everything you need: theory, sailing, on-water practice, yacht rentals and competition participation. Summer training camps are also held at the JINR Tourist Resort on Lipnya Island.

The traditional Japanese fencing club, the Kendo Club "Dubna" showcased its skills. Natalia Mitkevich coached the event on "Find yourself... in life! 5 keys to self-actualization and happiness!" from the project "Pro-movement to yourself". The CampFire Speaking Club invites everyone to join the Club for a discussion on selected topics.

The Music and Speech Studio "NotaMi", combining piano and logorhythmics, helps preschool-aged children with pronunciation and speech. The Dubna City Tourist Club invites you to join its community.

A performance and master class on African drumming was held by Zvenislava Lukina's Rhythm School. Twenty percussion instruments made entirely from exotic materials were brought to the library especially for the event. For example, African pumpkin with its seeds is used to make the kabasa and the skin and leather of African cows are used for the drums.

Two social projects also drew attention to their activities at the Festival. The Centre for Homeless Cats "Luchik", based in Dubna for over 10 years was represented by JINR staff. Outside of work, the junior researcher Ksenia Antokhina and the researcher Vasilisa Lenivenko volunteer to rescue stray animals: they seek medical care, find homes for animals and interview prospective owners. The shelter actively promotes positive behavior, inviting everyone to visit and participate in the lives of the cats. The volunteers know absolutely everything about their charges. They offered a short quiz to help to understand what's true about cats and what's myth.

The second project "Tom Sawyer Fest" originated in the city of Kimry. It offers volunteer work to preserve historical heritage. The movement started in Samara in 2015. The TSF was established in Kimry in 2018. During this time, volunteers have restored the facades of four buildings dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was partly thanks to the participation of Dubna residents. Anyone can join and help. Any age and any skill level is suitable; you don't have to be an architect or a renovation specialist. "There's work for everyone, even washing paintbrushes is work," the representative Irina Osipova said. Many skills are also easily acquired in the process. The TSF not only unites people around issues related to historical and cultural heritage but also finds joint activities for the community outside of work. The next restoration project will begin in the summer of 2026.

Maria KARPOVA,
photos by the author