Polyphony of languages and musical rhythms
The concert has its own story, "behind the scenes" life, ideas of development. Its main inspirers and organizers Deputy Head of the Department of International Relations Elena Badawi and Assistant Chief Scientific Secretary Varvara Fufaeva told our newspaper about it.
Since 2022, the JINR Women's Committee and the Dubna Children's Art School have organized several "Family concerts" in which employees of the Institute and members of the city's creative teams performed. "The first concert was held in the Universal Library," E. Badavi recalls, "it was very long, the audience stood, more than a hundred people came, we were glad and very excited, such attention and support of the audience gave us confidence that family concerts are needed and interesting to people." In the following years, performances took place in the Cultural Centre “Mir” and the Scientists’ Club, gradually they became traditional. The main "supplier of young talents", the Children's Art School, already perceives these concerts as part of its creative schedule, and children at the beginning of the school year ask - what will we play at the JINR concert this year? Since not all students become professional musicians after graduation, such participation, the opportunity to play the Steinway piano and perform on the legendary stage remain an unforgettable life experience for them. Over time, the chamber "Family concerts" grew into international outdoor performances. "Last year, we almost spontaneously came up with an international concert on the city site," V. Fufaeva says. “They prepared it literally for 3‑4 weeks. But it gathered more than 300 spectators - passers‑by and cyclists stopped to listen. It was amazing! And we realized that in the anniversary year we need a larger level and also certainly on the city site."
In the jubilee year for JINR, events dedicated to the culture of the Member Staes are held in the Universal Library, in the Museum of History of Science and Technology of JINR, in the Cultural Centre “Mir”: exhibitions, national holidays, lectures, evenings for communities are held.
This year, the concert was transformed into the JINR VIBE Festival. "Dubna is an international city," Elena says. “There are many children's creative groups in the city that study national music, dancing and so on. Our festival is an opportunity to show each other what a deep identity every culture has."
With the assistance of JINR communities and some embassies, artists from Moscow were invited, for example, Chinese vocal students Xue Senyuan and Meng Ziqi from the A. G. Schnittke Moscow State Institute of Music, dancers from the Indian dance studio Odissi Jivan Nritya from the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre, as well as artists Serbian folklore group "Tamo far." Dubna Ballet specially prepared two performances for the concert - Belarusian polka and Mexican dance. The daughter of JINR employees from Mongolia Badmaarag Nandin‑Erdene, a student of the Children's Art School, performed in the rain and the audience stood under umbrellas to listen to her. The Vietnamese community took to the stage with almost full strength, representing their country with a flag, in traditional straw hats and performing the song "My Vietnam". The Egyptian dance was prepared by the New Generation modern dance team. Cuban rhythms were performed by the Dubna School of Rhythm and African Drums. The Children's Exemplary Choreographic Collective "Merry Academy" performed a Russian dance.
"It was the first event of its extent in a city venue," Varvara says. “Of course, events with the participation of national groups were held before - in "Ratmino," in the Cultural Centre "Mir", where it was necessary to specially come by employees or members of their families. The peculiarity of this festival is that any passer‑by could come up and watch the concert on Molodezhnaya Polyana. And it is very important that the presenters conducted the concert simultaneously in two working languages of the Institute - Russian and English."
The organizers of the JINR VIBE Festival relied on openness, easy summer communication, an endless audience, the opportunity to have fun, dance with the whole family or a group of friends. As a result, according to Varvara, "it turned out to be a city holiday, but about our, institute, birthday." The art programme of the Festival was preceded by a scientific and educational exhibition prepared by the Group of Social Communications of the University Centre. Our newspaper reported this in the issue No. 22.
"The event turned out to be holistic, like yin-yang," Varvara Fufaeva says. “In the morning, scientists could come to Molodezhnaya Polyana with children, talk about their work and listen to the stories of their colleagues about the attitudes and experiments implemented at the Institute. And in the afternoon - danced, learned about the culture of other countries. And even if you go for a walk on the embankment – you can hear the performances of the artists." Such events, Elena highlights, are also indicative for children. They see that people of science are always multifaceted personalities, scientists are happy to engage in art.
The "backstage" of the international concert deserves a separate story. The date was postponed, I had to negotiate with the teams again. Not everyone was able to come on this day. The team "Anush" in the morning participated in a dance competition and then all day in makeup waited for the evening release. The participants of the motor festival installed and dismantled the stage and transported it by institute transport. The participants then came on bikes to watch the concert. The organizers had to go to a security meeting, defend the project so that the Festival, given the mass character, would take place. The car broke down, the movers fell ill with chickenpox, the bus with the foreign delegation arrived three hours earlier... The costumes of the Serbian team, as it turned out, required careful study, it took the artists two hours to prepare for the performance. They performed in the rain. And, of course, a slippery scene for the dancers...
Many structural divisions of the Institute and the city took part in the organization: The Department of International Cooperation assisted in the search for speakers from the Member States, the Publishing Department promptly prepared posters and letters of thanks, the Cultural Centre “Mir” provided full technical support and assistance in disseminating information, the Dubna restaurant organized meals for delegations from Moscow, the Auto Farm provided transfers, the JINR Museum of History of Science and Technology conducted excursions for guests. The Property Complex Development Department has postponed construction on Molodezhnaya Polyana so that noise does not interfere with the concert. Invaluable assistance was from the city administration: the Youth Centre “Initiative” helped with the stage, provided tables for tents, and the Department of Youth Policy, the Department of Parks and Recreation Areas joined the event.
And if we talk about the results, then the organizers consider the main success that in the rain most of the audience remained to the end, supporting the participants.
The JINR VIBE Festival showed how inquisitive, responsive and friendly Dubna residents are, how open they are to everything new, what warmth and sincerity they accept the cultures of different countries and peoples with. Let the polyphony of languages and musical rhythms always sound on the Volga embankment, let the artists of the JINR Member States and Partners, professionals and amateurs, children and adults meet - this is Dubna's amazing character, its fate, its future!
Galina MYALKOVSKAYA,
Photos by Olesya CHEPURNENKO