XVIII International Arts Festival "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" (BELTA Dossier)

The XVIII International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" will be held from July 10 to July 16. The festival in Vitebsk has gained a reputation as one of the most significant and large-scale cultural events far beyond the country's borders. "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" is a long-term, large-scale, interstate cultural event of Belarus and Russia, aimed at uniting multinational creative forces, all that is most valuable that each national culture is proud of, at the interaction and interpenetration of different cultures, the spiritual unity of the peoples of the world, and the creation of a peaceful community. The festival of arts is open and mass-oriented, contributing to the revival and development of artistic culture and art. It is designed to support young talents and innovation in artistic culture and art. Over 5,000 artists will take part in the XVIII International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk". 18 concerts will be held on the stage of the Summer Amphitheater. It is expected that they will be watched by about 100,000 spectators. The concert programs feature the names of Lara Fabian, Sarah Connor, Raimonds Pauls, Dolph Lundgren, Valery Leontiev, Roza Rymbaeva, Sofia Rotaru, Yadviga Poplavskaya and Alexander Tikhanovich, Boris Moiseev, Valery Meladze, Nadezhda Kadysheva. Concerts by masters of arts from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Moscow will also take place. This year's festival will traditionally host the Days of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, and the Day of the Union State will be held. Latvia has sent a large delegation of artists and painters – about 100 people. Creative groups and performers from Kazakhstan, Israel, China, and Vietnam will be guests of the festival. In total, flags of 35 states will fly – this is the number of countries that have sent their representatives to the cultural forum. Artists from 17 countries will participate in the competition of young performers this year. For the first time in the festival Vitebsk, the flags of Brazil and Vietnam will be raised. A representative from Brazil will participate in the performers' competition, and a Vietnamese folk group will take part in a concert. In total, over the years of the festival's existence, representatives from 70 countries have visited Vitebsk. This year, the International Festival "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" will be a meeting place not only for artists but also for businessmen from different countries. An investment forum will be held in Vitebsk on July 10 – the opening day of the famous festival. The goal of the business forum is to attract investments in the development of high-tech technologies of manufacturing enterprises, and to familiarize domestic and foreign investors with the opportunities for organizing new production facilities in the region. Projects in the fields of mechanical engineering, automotive industry, production of new building materials using local raw materials, proposals for the development of roadside services and logistics centers, and the creation of recreational infrastructure in each city and district of the region will be presented to potential investors. Agreements on the use of the trademark "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" have been concluded with 17 business entities of the Vitebsk region. An Alley of Laureates of the special award of the President of the Republic of Belarus "Through Art – to Peace and Mutual Understanding" will appear at the "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" festival. The alley is designed in the ceremonial zone of the Summer Amphitheater and will be clearly visible from all observation decks. The entrance to the alley will be opened by a triumphal arch, near which a pedestal with an enlarged 80-centimeter copy of the statuette of a muse with a wreath, awarded to all laureates, will be installed. Decorative elements of the alley will include squares of polished granite with the festival's symbol – a cornflower, the name of the laureate, and the year the award was presented. This year, five commemorative plaques will be laid – according to the number of recipients, including the laureate of 2009. The award "Through Art – to Peace and Mutual Understanding" was established by a decree of the head of state in 2005. It is awarded to cultural and art figures, creative groups, and organizations that have made a significant contribution to strengthening international cultural cooperation, promoting achievements and examples of world artistic culture, based on humanistic ideals and values. The first laureate of the award in 2005 was the Russian composer Andrei Petrov. In 2006, the award was given to Alla Pugacheva, in 2007 – to Sofia Rotaru, and in 2008 – to Alexandra Pakhmutova. "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" will hear the triumphant "Fairytale" by Alexander Rybak. The Norwegian of Belarusian origin will come to this year's festival of arts. About 600 representatives of mass media and online resources will cover the events of "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk". Among the accredited are journalists from Russia, Great Britain, Germany, the USA, China, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and other countries. Concerts of the festival will be broadcast by "Belteлерадиокомпания" and the TV channel "Russia". For the first time, Russian viewers will see in full the performances of the participants of the young performers' competition. In addition, Russians will watch recorded concerts of the opening, closing of the festival, and the days of national cultures – Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Belarusian viewers will be able to watch the festival's extravaganza live – all concerts, except for solo night performances, will be broadcast on the First Television Channel. Masters of folk crafts from Russia and Ukraine will come to the fair in the City of Craftsmen, which will be located in the center of folk crafts "Zadvine". Vitebsk, Smolensk, Pskov artisans, and guests from Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, will showcase their works here. About 150 applications have been received by the fair organizers. Folk ensembles from the Vitebsk region, as well as guests from China and Vietnam, will entertain the artisans and guests of the City of Craftsmen. The regional competition of traditional Belarusian creativity – "malyavanki" – promises to be memorable. More than 40 contestants will take part in it. By decision of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, all artisans will be exempt from paying taxes. This year's International Competition of Pop Song Performers at "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" significantly differs from previous ones in its composition – mainly young men will compete for the first place. Out of 17 participants, only 3 are girls. Belarus will be represented at the competition by a soloist of the Gomel Regional Philharmonic, 23-year-old Andrey Kolosov. He is a second prize winner of the international festival of pop art "Zvezdny Krym". Andrey Kolosov will perform two songs from the repertoire of "Pesniary": "Verni mne muzyku" and "Kalina". At the "junior" music competition, two Minsk residents will compete for the first place – seven-year-old Masha Novik from the National Center for Musical Arts and 11-year-old Lolita Gaydukevich. Both girls are laureates of international competitions. The international jury of the children's competition will be headed by People's Artist of Belarus Leonid Zakhlevny, and the adult jury – by Laima Vaikule. "Photo Chronicle of the Union State" – an exhibition under this title will be one of the events of the XVIII International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk". The adult festival is held in the year of the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders, and therefore, during the festival days, there will be many meetings with veterans and laying of flowers at the Eternal Flame. The "Youth for the Union State" campaign and a children's chalk drawing contest are planned. Traditionally, the festival will host a press conference of the State Secretary of the Union State, Pavel Borodin. And on the closing day of the forum, on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Union State, participants of creative programs will be awarded diplomas and commemorative prizes "For Creative Implementation of the Ideas of Friendship of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia". From the budget of the Union State, 24 million 896 thousand Russian rubles have been allocated for the "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" festival. The Russian share is 9 million 300 thousand rubles, and Belarus's share is 15 million 596 thousand Russian rubles.-0-