By Charley Faulkenburg, Staff Writer
The community room at the Princeton Public library was packed with people of all ages. Children shrieked with delight, toddlers squirmed in the laps of mothers and laughter tinkled through the air. Everyone watched raptly as young performers juggled, mimed, danced and acted, but one thing was unusual: everything was in Russian.
Princeton received a little taste of Russia over the weekend in the form of the Russian Carnival, which was held on Dec. 17 at the Public Library. Whether they were from Russia, of Russian descent or simply interested in the country, everyone gathered to celebrate Russian culture and traditions.
The performers consisted mostly of children and adolescents, who showcased Russian music, dance, stories and costumes. They started preparing for the carnival around two months ago.
”It was wonderful,” said Staten Island resident Toma Aliyeva, who emigrated from Russia more than 20 years ago. “I’m happy they are teaching the Russian tradition.”
The audience laughed as clowns impishly ran around, playing pranks on cast members. Children stared in awe as gymnasts balanced atop one another, cart wheeled and juggled while on stilts. Adults admired a trio of ballerinas from the Princeton Ballet School gracefully dancing to classical Russian symphonies. Some elderly folks sang along to Russian songs as performers danced in Russian garb and headdresses.
The carnival also featured a special performance from the children of the Professional Wushu Academy as well as from head coach Andrey Tikhonov, who is also a champion of the Russian Federation and won 27 medals in Russia. The audience gasped in wonder as Mr. Tikhonov swirled around, intensely kicking and flipping, while slicing the air with a long sword.
But the performers saved the best for last, by acting out a traditional Russian fairy tale. Carnival organizer Olga Barbanel narrated in Russian, but those who didn’t speak Russian were able to follow along on a hand-out that offered both English and Russian translations. Yet hardly anyone glanced at the hand-outs and those who didn’t speak the language were able to follow the tale just by watching.
Many of the audience members were proud parents of the children who made up the carnival cast. Morristown resident Natalia Shishkan, who emigrated from Russia in 2003, had a daughter in the production.
”It was a great opportunity to watch my 3-year-old play,” Ms. Shishkan said.
When asked her favorite part about the carnival, Ms. Shishkan said it was sharing the Russian experience with the kids.
She praised the carnival and the teamwork that went into it to make it a success.
”Everyone was involved,” Ms. Shishkan said. “It was great.”
For those interested in future Russian-based events, the Public Library holds a Story Time in Russian on the second Saturday of every month that begins at noon.
