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The Don Cossacks State Academic Song and Dance Ensemble in honour of Anatoly Kvasov will bring legendary Cossack heroism to the stage this month, with leaps and bounds and with sabres in hand in a riveting tribute to traditional folk arts.
The Don Cossacks from southwest Russia are as renowned for their 400-year-old artistic traditions as they are for their fighting skills. Their musical repertoire ranges from rousing military songs to soul-searing ballads extolling the Don River and village life, while their dance pieces feature exuberant sabre-wielding male performers and graceful female artists.
Clad in dazzling costumes and accompanied live by imposing brass, wind and traditional instruments, including the bayan (Russian accordion) and the balalaika (a Russian stringed instrument), the Don Cossacks State Academic Song and Dance Ensemble in honour of Anatoly Kvasov delivers spirited and joyous performances to thrill all ages.
The New York Times wrote of a performance by the troupe, "It is almost impossible, staid urbanite though one might be, to sit still while the lilting, rollicking instrumental music and song flow from the stage."
The Don Cossacks State Academic Song and Dance Ensemble, originally established in 1936, was restructured in the 1970s by its late Artistic Director Anatoly Kvasov, who brought together the country's top singers, dancers and creative production team members. Under Kvasov, the group went on to win national honours, including the Order of Friendship of Peoples and the State Academic Award in 1986 and 1996 respectively, and rapturous applause for its tours across Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
Cossacks ("free people") were migrants from Eastern Europe and Central Asia who gradually formed into a loose grouping of independent communities in different parts of Russia from the 14th to 17th centuries seeking to escape authoritarian rule. Most Cossack groups are named after the river along which they live, including the Don Cossacks, who enjoy a particularly impressive reputation given the key role they have played in many battles.
"Don Cossacks State Academic Song and Dance Ensemble in honour of Anatoly Kvasov" is one of the programmes of "World Cultures Festival 2013 - Lasting Legacies of Eastern Europe". Details of the shows are as follows:
Date and time: November 15, 8pm
Venue: Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall
Price: $160, $220, $280, $360
Date and time: November 16, 8pm
Venue: Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium
Price: $140, $200, $260, $320
Date and time: November 17, 3pm
Venue: Tuen Mun Town Hall Auditorium
Price: $120, $160, $200, $260
Tickets are available at URBTIX. Half-price tickets are available for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and their minders, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Other booking discounts of up to 20 per cent are available.
Programme brochures are available at URBTIX outlets or at the festival website www.worldfestival.gov.hk.
For programme enquiries, please call 2370 1044. Internet bookings can be made at www.urbtix.hk. Telephone credit card bookings can be made on 2111 5999.
Ends/Friday, November 1, 2013
Issued at HKT 14:40
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