Dublin hosting Russian festival

THE third annual Russian Cultural Festival is taking
place in Dublin this week with a varity of activities on offer across the
capitial.

The festival is organised by Dublin City Council with
support from local authourity officials from Moscow.

Activities available throughout the week include
traditional music, dance, children’s activities, lively performances, chess
challenges, cookery, contemporary cinema showings and informative exhibitions.

Leading experts on Russian culture will give lectures
throughout the week in the Long Room Hub in Trinity College and at the National
Gallery of Ireland. All are free to attend.

There’s also a once-off opportunity to take a Russian
cooking class at the Cooks Academy, South William Street, from 6.30-9pm on
Thursday (February 23). Tickets cost

?¬70 and are available online at
www.cooksacademy.ie.

A popular event at the two previous festivals has been
the opportunity to challenge Russian chess Grand Master Alexander Baburin who
this time around is hosting a workshop in Dublin City Council’s Civic Offices
in Wood Quay on Thursday morning (February 23) for secondary school students.

Then later at 1.30pm, university students can
challenge the Master in a mass chess-game where a large crowd is expected to
attend.

Another attraction will be three exhibitions –
children’s art, photographic and Russian art – that are running all week long
in the Atrium of the Civic Offices.

The children’s art exhibition will showcase work by
schoolchildren from Dublin and surrounding counties who were encouraged to
submit their artwork to represent Russian fairytales.

Several contemporary Russian films, including the
multi-award winning Faust by renowned filmmaker Alexander Sokurov, will be
screened during the week. The films will be shown at various cinemas across the
city – further details can be found on the Jameson Dublin International Film
Festival website at www.jdiff.com.

The renowned Russian performer Oleg Pogudin

‘The
Silver Voice of Russia’ will perform for the first time ever in Ireland for the
festival at two exclusive shows at 2pm and 5pm in the Olympia Theatre on Sunday
(February 26) as part of the festival. Both shows are expected to sell out.

The week-long festivities will culminate in a family
day on Sunday February 26, where entertainment to appeal to all ages will take
place in and around Cow’s Lane and Essex Street, Temple Bar.

This will feature a variety of performances, Russian
food, souvenir stalls, along with Russian storytelling, doll painting,
fairytale films and face painting to keep children enthralled.

For updates on the Festival visit
www.dublincity.ie/russianfestival