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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 1999)
GGIELIFE Page 5 • Wednesday, September 29, 1999 ively, fierce, mighty and brave are some of the words Olga Cooke, adviser for the Russian Club and an associate professor of Russian, isl> to describe the way the Don Cossacks of Rostov ra depicted in literature and history. Bn a program sponsored by the MSC Opera and Per- Bning Arts Society (OPAS), The Don Cossacks ofRos- o| dance ensemble will perform Russian folk dances ftn the Don River region of Russia on Thursday night. Bleremy Byrd, OPAS chair and a senior psychology Rior, said the dance troupe will perform many pieces, nciuding songs of praise, patriotic choral and acro- Mtic dancing. ■ “Every once in a while, we try to bring something iljt ^national to [Texas] A&M to expose students to nlw cultures which they aren’t exposed to as often,” ard said. I Sara Peeples, OPAS public relations chair and a ju nior accounting major, said The Don Cossacks of Ros tov have been performing for four centuries now. I “This was established to help preserve Russian folk- jlore,” she said. ft Craig Stansfield, president of the Russian Club and 4^e/7yb///?fernational studies major, said he saw a per formance by a different troupe of Cossacks this past vner during a visit to St. Petersburg, Russia. Most of these performances are folk dances,” sfield said. “They were performed primarily when vents such as going off to war or courting rituals k place].” he Don is a river in what is now the Ukraine where t of the Cossacks originated. Rostov is a city on the Don,” Cooke said. “There different places where Cossacks are located. This icular group are from southern Russia.” I’he troupe’s dances and songs illustrate the life of Russian people who lived on the plains along the li River. Cooke said she assumes the men and women of the sacks will be attired in traditional folk-dance dress. It is customary for the men to wear big, puffy pan- ons with a white shirt, which has a very decora- collar in some dances,” she said. “They are usu- also in boots and have a sash around the waist, s is not only [the costume] in Cossacks dancing but i lot of traditional [Russian] folk dancing.” The Don Cossacks are most known for singing at ily gatherings on weekdays after chores were done. Ivhole village would gather to sing when a major I ?nt occurred. PHOTO COURTESY OF DON COSSACKS OF RUSSIA Cooke said the Cossacks’ performances are not only artistic performances but also are rich in histo ry. She said the closest comparison to the Cossacks she knew of for a lay person to understand was a film known as Taras Bulba. “[The film] is the Hollywood version,” she said. “It [the film] depicts an epic struggle of life — of warring, romantic intrigues and patriotism to Moth er Russia. “Even though they [Cossacks] are very indepen dent, they are at the same time fiercely patriotic.” Cooke said the Cossacks changing alliances forged a colorful history. “The famous Cossacks incorporate historical songs,” she said. “They have a real rich folklore. They have had different allegiances over time. They are an independent group of warriors.” Cooke said many songs the Cossacks sing are based on seasonal cycles. Anatoili Kvasov, who heads the ensemble, said in a press release that the ensemble tries to incorporate modern-day Russian life as well as history in its 21- piece program. “The ensemble strives to present the Don Cossack folk songs it performs not only as beautiful relics of the past but also as the living art of the present,” Kvasov said. According to the press release, one of the features of this program is a small song cycle unified by com mon subject matter. The troupe’s orchestra consists of a flute, four ac cordions, three trumpets, percussion instruments, balaikas [a triangle-shape, three-stringed Russian folk instrument] and a double bass. It is tradition for the folk songs to be sung with out accompaniment. Tomorrow’s program will commence with a piece titled My Little Meadows, a female lyric love song about a girl who meets her love only to lose him in a war on foreign soil. The song is performed by a fe male singer a capella. Another piece, illustrating the seasonal cycles, is Winter Frolic. This song depicts winter along the Don River, a festive time period featuring snowball fights, competitions and games. One of the military pieces is Razin’s Revolt, about the Cossack hero Stephan Razin, who led the Cos- saks in a historic rebellion against their oppressors in the 17th century. Tomorrow’s performance will conclude with Mother Evening, a piece of vocal and choreographic composition about a Cossack and his love gathering apples in a garden. lubin and wife ipecting child [WASHINGTON (AP) — State De- Irtment spokesperson James P pin and his wife, TV reporter iristiane Amanpour, are expecting 5ir first child next spring. “Like hundreds of millions of ■ppily married couples, we are llpngto have a healthy child,” Ru- n said yesterday. PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Rubin lives in Washington while working for Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Amanpour lives in London while serving as CNN’s chief international corre spondent and a contributor to CBS’s “60 Minutes.” Gehry to design new skyscraper NEW YORK (AP) — Architect Frank O. Gehry, who designed the ultramodern Guggenheim muse um in Bilbao, Spain, has been hired again by Guggenheim. This time he will be designing a dramatic new building in New York City. Gehry has designed a building that rises about 45 stories out of a cloud-like shape, The New York Times reported yesterday. The structure would be on a platform above piers, along the East River near Wall Street. Conference ctober 2, 9:15 am - 4:15pm The ELC is a two-day conference designed to build unity and leadership skills among engineering students, although it is open to all students. Included are socials, workshops, a design project competition, and dinner and lunch. Cost $5.00. You can register by filling out registration forms found outside 204 Zachry and 219 Wisenbaker and placing them inside the box marked “Engineering Leadership Conference” along with your $5 registration fee. Registration Deadline: September 29 at 5pm. For additional information, call the Student Engineers’ Council at 847-8567 or visit us online at http://sec.tamu.edu/elc Sponsored by the Student Engineers ’ Council, IBM, Intel, and EDS Elect Ywr leaders VOTE 2003 Freshmen Elections Wednesday, Sept. 29; Thursday Sept. 30 Vote at the follawins convenient locations: MSC, Evans Library, Blocker, Sbisa, Commons, Duncan, and Zachary Learn to fly with the Cessna Pilot Center Exclusive Integrated Flight Training System Cessna LEARN TO FLY NOW At United Flight Systems THE EXPERIENCED FLIGHT SCHOOL Our New Location: College Station Easterwood Airport 409 260-6322 www.unitedflight.com n Easily awarded student loans (24 hr. award notice) H Private thru advanced training P Aircraft rental P Pilot Shop U F.A.A. approved 141 school U VA eligible Benefits We make a lot of things better (sunglasses) (C0SmetiCS) JH| (n0te books) (sports drinks) (hair gels/shampoo) (toothpaste) ackpacks) (in-line skates) (sports apparel) (blue jeans) (sneakers) (blueprint paper) (uy sunscreen) (helmet) (tires) (hiking boots) Especially Texas A&M University Engineering - ChE, ME Information Session Date: 10/4/99 Time: 6pm - 8pm Location: RUDDER, ROOM 410 Interview Date(s): 10/5/99 - 10/7/99 Contact your placement office to sign-up for an interview. 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