Russian Sailors' Dance - In celebration of VE Day 9 May Red Square

[swilton]

70th Anniversary of VE Day - well celebrated in Russia which lost more than 25 million (26.6 million according to resources on Wikkepedia) in the conflict...The conflict over Stalingrad is listed as the turning point and I'm enclosing a bonus bullet on that within this thread...Hope that both will be enjoyed.

Here is a documentary on Stalingrad - it is long but it was made in 2003 and includes interviews with Russian and German participants.

Note: if there are additional edits - it's to get the videos embedded.

[Shrike47]

1. The dancing is wonderful! You can see they've had ballet training. Very athletic.

I kinda doubt they're sailors.

[Plucketeer]

3. That was my thinking

Gotta be quite a feat to dance on those uneven bricks!

[MADem]

14. I agree--I think they're professional dancers in sailor costumes!

They're really, really good, though--it can't be easy to mirror that kind of movement so precisely. Very entertaining.

[yallerdawg]

2. Is this a rise to fascist nationalism?

This is so reminiscent of the ascension of Nazi Germany.

I hope it is nothing more than a celebration of the Soviet triumph over Germany.

Putin does love to tweak us, doesn't he?

[swilton]

4. VE Day is one of two Russian National Holidays

the other is November 7 (Gregorian Calendar) which honors the Soviet Revolution and Soviet/Russian independence. The November 7 date is the anniversary of the October Revolutions which happened (Julian Calendar) on 25 October. That event wasn't the actual seizure of powers from the tsars but was in fact the overthrow of the interim Kerensky Government which had seized power and overthrew the tsarist autocracy the previous February.

Do you know of any country (US included) that doesn't have and celebrate national holidays with military parades?

[yallerdawg]

6. We pretty much march in step for parades.

Our military does not do choreographed Broadway spectaculars!

I'm glad to see Russia is in great financial shape. Regardless of our financial sanctions.

No austerity program there!

[MADem]

15. We do a huge "spectacular" on the Mall every 4th of July--same kind of thing.

The former Soviet Union lost a lot of people in WW2, so I should say that dancing and partying is probably a reasonable reaction to memorializing the end of that mess.

UK recently had a HUGE event at the Horse Guards Parade, where professional dancers and singers dressed up in military costume and sang their hearts out--it just aired the other day.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32679447

Here's the whole programme--get it while you can, it will probably get taken down:

[Diclotican]

7. swilton

swilton


I know - i know about a nation - who celebrate their national holidays, like their constitution day - without a military parade - and their national day is up this sunday - May 17... Guess who's national day its up?

Norway of course - in our little neck of the universe - we celebrate the national day going bonkers celebrating our national day by walking in the streets - with the kids in front of us - with some brass band who play national themed melodies - all over the country - not a single soldier in sight, outside of the official residence of the Royal Family of course - but the royal guard tend to be there anyway -

This is a little taste about how the national day is celebrated in Norway, its from 2011, but I guess you will get the gest of it anyway

And by the way - the young people you are seeing - going around in a form of uniform - is "Russ" - traditionally it is the celebration about 13 years of school who is at the end - and most of May have traditionally be a form of total party for the ones who are at the last grade in middle school/college level of education - for the most part, just fun and good times - even if some tend to drink to much alcohol in the celebration.. (Norway have 18 years limits to alkohol, and 21 years for strong spirits)

Diclotican

[swilton]

13. Diclotican

Thank you for sharing such an interesting film and I do hope you post something for this year's national day in Norway! There were so many things to see in the film, it's hard to cover everything...the marching bands (by the way, I thought I heard one of the bands playing the US Navy's march 'Anchors Away'), the children waving flags and having fun, the costumes...what a celebration....One thing that especially stood out for me were those gorgeous horses at the beginning of the film....hopefully we will see more after this year's May 17....swilton

[Diclotican]

16. swilton

swilton

And this is just a cut out from a few hours of celebrating our national day here in Norway - usually it is at least a couple of hours this continue to happened - school after school - from all over Oslo (our capital) celebrating the national day and eat tonnes of hot-dogs and ice cream after this happening - often in the local school where it is a lot of games, and of course corps are playing the national Anthem Ja vi Elsker. And the marching bands are busy playing all over the country - And you are right about the US navy marsh Anchors away - it is often played by th marching bands for some reason....

And the horses at the beginning of the film - it is the police horses who live near, more or less in the shadows of the wall of the old Fortress Akershus - who have been where the police horses have been situated for more than a century by now - and it have been a long standing traditions that the Police is part of the 17 of may - with the horses - and a brass band - you can se it as one of the first ones beside the royal guard who are in the front of it all by tradition..

And it is the time of year we, Norwegians often dress up in our finest customers - that be in national customers - like Bunads - or in more regular suits to celebrate the day - kids are most often also dressed up in customers - to celebrate the whole thing - and it is in most cases a children's day - where you have both the more sollum national speeches - and the anthem and so one - but also the part where you celebrate it with playing around - and of course - you have the tedious dinner where you have your grandparents, uncles, and many others to celebrate the day with you...

Diocletian

[KansDem]

5. I don't think I could be in the Russian navy...

I can barely bend over to pick up the newspaper off my lawn in the morning.

[3catwoman3]

8. That was some very...

...impressive precision in that delightful dancing.

[passiveporcupine]

12. Reminds me of river dancing

But why do men get all the good parts? The ladies in the background don't seem to be having as much fun.

[jwirr]

9. The last video should be mandatory for every one but on a daily basis for world leaders and the

MIC in every country of the world.

Thank you for this.

[swilton]

10. Hello Everyone

Thanks for the feedback -
Those of you who recognize (duh?!) that these are not Russian Sailors - are correct...I'm reading the Cyrillic at the top - this is the Igor Moiseyev Dance Company - also known as the Igor Moiseyev Ballet. Here is the Wikipedia link and you can also find a lot of their work on Youtube - if you're into their artistry. Unlike my sister who is/was a dance critic - I won't go into the style of dancing - which is character dance - but the Wike article has a lot about that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Moiseyev

It is to some extent a vehicle for nationalism aka propaganda but the Russians (who celebrated their 1,000 years of Christianity in 1989) are an empire and entitled to that and especially after their WWII experiences - to each his own. I have seen this (national artistry) vehicle in the Soviet Days done by the Red Army Chorus - very fine singing and folk dancing...Again, just know enough to be dangerous -But the musicality of Russian singers (especially the bass) is of the highest quality. One thing that contributes to that is that within the Russian Orthodox Church, there are no musical instruments...liturgical music is sung a cappella.

google Red Army choir...for further info

[Warpy]

11. I saw a small touring company in the early 60s

and recognized the style immediately.

And yes, even if you sneer at the nationalism that started the whole enterprise, you still have to recognize the artistry that went into the various choreographies, melding folk dance and classical ballet into something truly wonderful.

If one of their touring companies makes it out to the wild west, I'll pay good money to see them again.

[reorg]

17. impressive documentary

thanks for posting.