The "Dnipro Voices in Dubrovna" festival brought together over 800 lovers of musical folklore.
This year, the symbol of sanctity, purity, and protection – the rushnyk – united all the events of the rich two-day program. Ensembles, folklore groups, orchestras, and chapels from seven countries brought it with them to sew it together and carry it along the main street of the city as a sign of unity and friendship. The folk group "Kudzielica" greeted guests with a corridor of Dubrovno rushnyks.
– Every year, the international forum gathers more friends, gains new admirers, reveals new facets of skill, and enhances its professional level, – emphasized **Vladimir Terentyev, Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies**. – It holds a well-deserved place on the creative map of the Vitebsk region and is a calling card of Dubrovno. The scale and level of the event indicate that friendship, good neighborliness, and cultural dialogue are the foundation for the development of society.
The stalls of enterprises, village councils, and agro-towns welcomed guests not only with their signature delicacies but also with games, entertainment, and theatricalized rituals of our ancestors. For the first time, the regional competition of folk instrument orchestras, bayan and accordion orchestras, and dulcimer orchestras called "Singing with the Orchestra" took place on the main stage, with 13 collectives from the Vitebsk region participating – over 350 people.
Stall of the Dubrovno Flax Mill
– The core was formed by children's art schools, – noted **Nikolai Pashinsky, Chairman of the Jury, Honored Figure of Culture of the Republic of Belarus**. – It is the children's art schools that today support the musical culture of villages and small towns. The competition assessed children's and adult orchestras as independent ensembles plus their ability to accompany. It is gratifying that all participants demonstrated a high level of skill. I think this competition will become traditional within the framework of the festival.
The children's exemplary folk instrument orchestra of the Ushachi Children's Art School and the folk instrument orchestra of the Beshenkovichi Culture Center were recognized as the best and awarded with diplomas of the I degree.
The holiday-competition of traditional whistles "Salaveyka-2017" brought together masters from Belarus and Russia who are reviving forgotten pottery techniques. It was in the Dubrovno region that Anna Maracheva lived and created her unique clay whistle toys. Collections of her works are kept in museums in Minsk, Moscow, and St. Petersburg.
The 1st place in the competition was awarded to Lyudmila Chervinskaya, a specialist from the Dubrovno House of Crafts, and the Grand Prix went to Vladimir Kvashko, a master from Senno.
The "Carpet of Friendship" project was also presented on the main stage – a festival amulet sewn from canvases of 40 regions of the world. Its current length is 20 m.
The key events were the performances of the festival's participating groups on 12 stage platforms in agro-towns.
The theatrical procession on the second day of the forum concluded at the city stadium, which was the main event arena until late in the evening. It hosted the "Dnipro Fair" crafts festival, the gala concert with the awards ceremony "You Charm and Unite, Dnipro!", the folk ritual of seeing off guests "Pasakhi – on easy paths" by the folklore group "Kudzelitsa", and a program with the participation of famous Belarusian artists – the "Verasy" studio, Olga Plotnikova, and the group "Provokatsiya". At the end of the evening, guests were treated to fireworks and a retro disco.
Traditionally, after the festive program, guests gathered at the "Rylionki" memorial complex for a requiem rally to honor the memory of more than 10,000 soldiers buried here, who died during the liberation of the region from the Nazi invaders.
As noted by Oleg Lyndin, Chairman of the Dubrovno District Executive Committee, the folklore forum helps establish cultural contacts between countries, enriches national culture, and contributes to the formation of a positive image of the district and the region as a whole. Creative ties create a basis for further business meetings.
Olga LEBEDEVA, photos by the author. "Vitebskiye Vesti".