House of Culture “Rugodiv” celebrated its birthday and is making plans for the next year. But who will lead it is still unknown

2023-11-28 17:40:06

Elena Kalyadina: despite the popularity of modern dance among Narva residents, it seems to me that folk dance is still the most beautiful, history lives in it. Photo: Natalya Starostina

Last Saturday, November 25, the Rugodiv House of Culture celebrated its 56th birthday with a big festive concert, which was sold out. Each group of the cultural center performed their most successful numbers. There was also a premiere at the concert: the younger group of children of the dance ensemble “Narva” (4-8 years old), who began training in September this year, performed publicly for the first time!

As the director of “Rugodiva” Elena Kalyadina told Narvskaya Gazeta, according to a long-established tradition, all groups of the cultural center take part in the festive concert.

In total, there are 15 groups in “Rugodiva”. The oldest ensemble in the House of Culture and in the city in general is “Narva”, it is already 70 years old. According to Elena, he moved to Rugodiv from the Palace of Culture. V. Gerasimova.

Elena Kalyadina. Photo: NG archive

“And our first band of our own was a brass band,” recalls Kalyadina. “The second is the Yunost ensemble, our current Yun-Ost.”

The brass band is long gone, but Yun-Ost recently celebrated its 55th anniversary.

The largest group in the House of Culture is Step-Up under the leadership of Maria Popova, where they teach modern dance. More than 70 people work there.

Elena Kalyadina complained that attendance at the recreation center is decreasing every year: the number of young Narvite residents is decreasing, adults are working harder and harder, leaving no time for hobbies. If earlier the circles were consistently attended by more than 600 people, now – 400.

Four-year-old children appeared before the public for the first time. Photo: Natalya Starostina

But Rugodiv’s biggest problem is the budget. Until it has been adopted, it is not clear how much money will be allocated for next year’s events and how much can be distributed for household needs. “Sometimes it’s not easy to keep up with the times: viewers expect modern shows with new designs, technical capabilities and modern costumes, and all this costs a lot of money,” says Elena.

The first place in the needs of the cultural center is the replacement of sound equipment in the dance hall; it is already 35 years old.

But despite concerns about finances, an activity plan for the next year at Rugodiva has already been drawn up. In February, the international vocal festival Magic Fest will be held, organized by the head of the Magic Land studio, Yulia Kuzmina. The traditional festival of school theaters “Golden Fish” is also planned. In honor of Estonia’s Independence Day, a big concert will be held for the city’s schools.

In the vocal studio “Chance” they dance and sing. Photo: Natalya Starostina

There is also a completely new event in the plan. Once upon a time, the Narva dance ensemble held a concert dedicated to the memory of the group’s founder, Suren Harutyunyan. Next year it will be included in the program of a big concert dedicated to Dance Day.

In addition to Rugodiva’s own events, on its stage you will be able to see performances by artists from different cities in Estonia and other countries.

But who will lead this ship further through the stormy waters of cultural life in Narva is still unclear. When Elena Kalyadina announced that she was leaving her position, the Narva City Hall announced a competition for the position of director of the cultural center. Announced in August, the competition did not bring any results. There were three candidates, as Dmitry Vergun, deputy head of the Narva Department of Culture, told NG, but none of them met the specified requirements. The mayor’s office has not yet announced a new competition, but the current director intends to work only until the end of this year.

Photo: Natalya Starostina

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