People of all ages crammed into the dark community room in the Princeton Public Library. Every seat was taken and every inch of wall was lined with people of all ages.
By Charley Falkenburg, Special to the Packet
People of all ages crammed into the dark community room in the Princeton Public Library. Every seat was taken and every inch of wall was lined with people of all ages.
All eyes were trained on a woman who was clad in a colorful cape and was holding a basket. The basket swung back and forth as she spoke animatedly in Russian.
A few titters broke out and small girl perched upon her father’s shoulders called out in Russian, “Little Red Riding Hood.”
”In the traditional Russian winter carnival, there are a lot of riddles and here, they have to guess what fairy tale is being acted out,” explained Marina Kogan, a Russian native who lives in Princeton.
Princeton got its own little slice of Russia on Saturday, when SchoolPlus of Princeton, a weekend enrichment program for children in kindergarten through 12th grade, hosted its second Russian Winter Carnival.
As one of Russia’s main holiday festivals, Ms. Kogan said the winter carnival serves to celebrate the New Year. And celebrate they did that afternoon with many traditional Russian songs, folk and ballet dances, plays and fairy tale-themed riddles.
Young people of all ages starred as the main performers. Little girls twirled in tutus to classical Russian, young boys danced in trousers and caps and many children acted out various parts in classic Russian plays. As the performances continued, parents, friends and family members snapped photos, applauded and cheered on the cast.
For Ms. Korgan, who came to America 20 years ago, the carnival served as a way to keep the Russian language and culture going.
”I feel like it’s part of my mission to keep it alive and help create environment where we can perform in Russian,” she added. “I miss the sound of Russian – and not just kitchen talk, but the poetry and artistic language.”
Although much of the festival was in Russian, the performers mixed in traditional American holiday songs too. The audience particularly enjoyed when 13 small children belted out a lively rendition of “Jingle Bells,” inspiring them to sing and clap along with the chorus.
Ms. Korgan, alongside many others in the Russian-American community, spent the last three months helping to make the carnival a reality. All the costumes were hand made and all the songs and plays were written and tailored for the festival.
”The community celebrates so many different nations. Why not one for Russia?” asked Dr. Gala Rokhinson, the director of the Princeton SchoolPlus.