The "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" Arts Festival opens its arms to friends for the 20th time

July 8, Vitebsk /BelTA correspondent/. Vitebsk is once again donning the mantle of the capital of arts and hosting the XX International Festival "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk". The grand opening of the festival will take place today on the stage of the Summer Amphitheater, BelTA reports.

About 5,000 guests from 27 countries will take part in the 20th arts forum. Almost 70 creative projects are announced in the "Slavianski Bazaar" program. The XX International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" will retain its traditional structure but will fill it with new content. The festival will offer meetings with masters of arts from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, adult and children's song contests, as well as film and theater programs that have become favorites over many years. The anniversary "Slavianski Bazaar" will become a starting platform for the festival of arts of Belarusians of the world, which will open on July 9 in Vitebsk.

The opening ceremony concert stands out with its stellar and international lineup of participants: Nikolai Baskov, Dima Bilan, Valery Leontiev, art group "Khor Turetskogo", Taisiya Povaliy, Patricia Kaas, Didier Marouani and the Space group, winners of "Eurovision-2011" the Azerbaijani duo Eldar & Nigar. Belarus will be represented at the opening concert by ensembles "Pesniary" and "Siabry", Nikolai Skorikov, Irina Dorofeeva, Anastasia Vinnikova, Daniil Kozlov, dance and choreographic groups.

On the first day of the festival, a star of People's Artist of the USSR, composer Igor Luchenok will be unveiled on the Alley of Laureates of the Special Prize of the President of the Republic of Belarus "Through Art – to Peace and Understanding". The special prize was established by a decree of the head of state in 2005. It is awarded to cultural and art figures, creative teams, and organizations that have made a significant contribution to strengthening international cultural cooperation, and promoting achievements and examples of world artistic culture based on humanistic ideals and values.

The festival organizers have prepared a wonderful gift for theatergoers. The Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre, the Mayakovsky Moscow Academic Theatre, the "Amethyst" production company, the "Chance" International Theatre Center, and the Roman Viktyuk Theatre will bring their performances for them. Ekaterina Vasilyeva, Evgenia Simonova, Olga Prokofieva, Yaroslav Boyko, and Daniil Spivakovsky will perform for the festival audience.

Since 1996, the festival has been offering an encounter with the most popular art form – cinema. At the jubilee "Slavianski Bazaar," filmmakers from Belarus, Russia, and Lithuania will present their projects. The audience will see the feature film "Ryzhik in the Looking-Glass" produced by the "Belarusfilm" National Film Studio and meet its director, Elena Turova. Alina Kukhushkina, who voiced one of the roles, will present the Russian animated film "Masha and the Bear." The feature film "Omut" by Lithuanian director Gytis Lukšas (Lithuania) will be shown in Vitebsk by producer Arūnas Stoškus.

The Union State has been participating in the financing of "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" since 1998. The Union State Day will take place at the current forum on July 10. The events will be attended by the State Secretary of the Union State, Pavel Borodin, and deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, who will hold a special press conference, meet with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, lay flowers at the Eternal Flame on Victory Square in Vitebsk, and visit a number of children's institutions in the Vitebsk region.

As part of the Union State Day, there will be a presentation of union media and information projects, and a meeting with nominees for the Union State Prize in Literature and Art for 2011-2012. In the evening, the Summer Amphitheater will host the concert "Syabry" Gather Friends," which, in addition to the renowned Belarusian ensemble, will feature Alexandra Pakhmutova, Nikolai Dobronravov, Alexander Tikhanovich and Yadviga Poplavskaya, Irina Dorofeeva, Ruslan Alekhno, the "Samotsvety" ensemble, and other famous Belarusian and Russian artists.

The festival's excitement will be enhanced by adult and children's pop song contests. Twenty young singers, who have passed a strict preliminary selection, from 20 countries will take part in the jubilee pop song contest "Vitebsk-2011". Belarus will be represented at this contest by the winner of the national qualifying round, 25-year-old Alyona Lanskaya. Twenty-three young talents from 20 countries will participate in the children's contest. According to the contest rules, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine will each delegate two contestants. 10-year-old Anya Atroshchenko and 9-year-old Sasha Nekhay will perform for Belarus.

The main stage of the jubilee festival, the Summer Amphitheatre, will amaze the audience with technical special effects. Original scenography has been developed using modern LED screens, panels, and luminous coatings; the stage configuration will change during the concerts. Modern technologies will make the performances bright and spectacular for the audience in the hall and more impressive for TV viewers.

The National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus has been the main broadcaster of the festival throughout its existence. This year, the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival, the international pop song contest, gala concerts of art masters, and jubilee and solo concerts will be broadcast on Perviy, Lada, Belarus-TV, and Belarusian Radio. Special diaries, which will start airing on Perviy channel on July 8, will help viewers follow the events. The satellite TV channel "Belarus-TV" will allow residents of other countries and continents to watch the concerts of "Slavianski Bazaar". Traditionally, Belarusian Radio actively participates in covering the events of the international arts festival. Diaries, news, and music programs are planned for Perviy National Channel, Kultura Channel, and radio stations Belarus, Stolitsa, and Radius-FM. On the evening broadcast of Perviy National Channel of Belarusian Radio on July 8, there will be a live broadcast of the festival's opening concert.

Approximately 500 representatives of various media outlets, including 400 journalists, have been accredited for the anniversary festival. The geography of the journalistic community is extensive, covering Belarus, Azerbaijan, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, China, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, USA, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Estonia.

Hundreds of artisans and artists will participate in the City of Masters at the "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" festival. Traditional venues for folk masters and artisans will be Tchaikovsky Street, leading to the "Dvina" center, and areas near the "Vitebsk" concert hall. The recently pedestrianized ancient streets of Tolstoy and Suvorov will be transformed into an open-air salon, where about 100 artists will exhibit their creations.

The grand closing ceremony of the festival will take place on July 14. -0-