8720 GEORGIA AVENUE, SUITE 303 SILVER SPRING, MD 20910 301-588-7525 WWW.CLASSACTSARTS.ORG

Barynya

Russian Music, Dance, and Song Ensemble

Barynya, established in 1991 in New York City, is a group that performs traditional Russian dances, music, songs, and virtuoso performances on instruments such as the balalaika, balalaika-contrabass, garmoshka, bayan, and domra . Barynya has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the National Constitution Center, the Smithsonian Institute of America, the United Nations, and the Russian Embassy.

About the Artists

Mikhail Smirnov , was born in Moscow, and has been involved with Russian folk dance and music for more than 25 years. Mikhail is the artistic director and founder of Barynya 1, author of many articles about traditional Russian dance, music, and instruments, and the owner of Barynya Entertainment . As a child, Mikhail was a member of the Moscow Boys Chorus . He was also a soloist in several Russian folk and music groups. Mikhail is an accomplished musician playing the balalaika-contrabass, balalaika, and gusli. In January 2009 Mikhail and the dancers of Barynya were featured on NBC’s “Superstars of Dance”.

Elina Karokhina is Russia’s top balalaika player and a musician of international renown. She was born in St. Petersburg, and started to play the balalaika as a teenager. Elina belonged to the Russian folk group Izba Trio and toured with the Moscow Circus under the name “Smirnov’s Folk Orchestra. “ She is now the principal balalaika player and musical director for Barynya.

Gosha joined Barynya for the School Assembly tour of 2013-2014. During the 45 minute program of the Barynya School Assembly Shows Gosha performs the Ukrainian dance Pidmanula (You tricked me), and is costumed characters: Nanai Fighters, Dancing Chicken and Gypsy Fortune Teller.

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Selected for the second time by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as “one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region” 8720 GEORGIA AVENUE, SUITE 303 SILVER SPRING, MD 20910 301-588-7525 WWW.CLASSACTSARTS.ORG

Performance Summary:

The school performance includes famous Russian table song "Father Frost" ("Oi, Moroz, Moroz") with accompaniment of garmoshka, "Balalaika Medley", "Moscow Nights", "Korobushka", "Kalinka", "Nanaisky Siberian Wrestling Dance", Khorovod song and dance "Metelitsa" ("The Snowstorm"), "Russian Chicken dance" (Танец маленьких утят), "Russian dance lesson", "Russian Alphabet lesson", Russian Gypsy Roma song and dance "Dark Eyes" ("Очи Черные"), "Chardash" (balalaika solo, instrumental), "Tanets Medvedya" (Dance of the Russian Bear), "Russian Percussian Orchestra", "Russian Tongue Twisters" (русские скороговорки), and Ukrainian traditional song and dance "Pidmanula".

The school show may include many of the following traditional dances:

Barynya: Original Russian folk dance with short four line verses. The Barynya dance is an alternation of limericks and frenetic dancing. It consists mainly of fancy stomping and traditional Russian squat work.

Kamarinskaya : Popular Russian folk dance. Instrumental music accompanies.

Nanai Tribe Fighters : The sumo-style kind of wrestling match is the favorite sport of the Nanai people who inhabit the frigid Northern region of Russia. This dance has a very special secret that will be revealed in the end of the performance.

Korobushka : Favorite Russian folk song. A countryside peddler has a basket filled with attractive prints and brocades.

Varen’ka : Cossack song and dance.

Tsyganskaiya Fantaziya : Instrumental. Virtuoso medley of favorite Russian Gypsy songs.

Russkie Skorogovorki : A vocal performance a cappella by Mikhail Smirnov

Hopak: National dance of Ukraine is also referred to as Gopak or Cossack dance. Hopak has been incorporated into larger artistic opuses such as operas and ballets.

Selected for the second time by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as “one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region” 8720 GEORGIA AVENUE, SUITE 303 SILVER SPRING, MD 20910 301-588-7525 WWW.CLASSACTSARTS.ORG

Podmiskovnye Vechera, Katyusha : Two most popular Russian songs.

Russian Jewish Medley : Instrumental. Balalaika solo by Elina Karokhina.

Mazel Tov: Jewish wedding dance from the Odessa region of Ukraine.

Kalinka: The most famous Russian folk song and dance.

Website to see dancing and music videos of Barynya:

www.barynya.com

Selected for the second time by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as “one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region”