‘Soul of Russia’ International Festival of the Peoples of the North at SPIEF to Feature Unique Ethnic Show

The ‘Soul of Russia’ International Festival of the Peoples of the North will host a unique ethnic show that will bring together iconic representatives of modern ethnic music and dance art for a single vibrant performance. The festival will take place on 14–17 June at Lenfilm Studio as part of the cultural programme of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The festival is part of the plan of events for Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are managed by the Roscongress Foundation.

More than 15 stylish and creative ethnic DJs and groups will take part in the performance, including the Krasnoyarsk group OTYKEN and the group HAGRIN from Kalmykia, Popescu from Sergiev Posad, Damir Aka from St. Petersburg, the Kantele national song and dance ensemble from Karelia, the traditional Chukchi ensemble Kochevnik from Moscow, Tina Kuznetsova with the ZVENTA SVENTANA programme, Yuliana Krivoshapkina from Yakutia, the Solntse Theatre of the Ob-Ugric peoples, the signature Crossover project of the Fa# vocal group from Yugra, the Northern Lights folklore ensemble (theatre-studio) of the Institute of the Peoples of the North of Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University, as well as the ethno-musicians Sergey Starostin, Sergey Klevensky, and Sergey Filatov.

“The traditional interest in the performances by ethno-music performers who use the cultural traditions of the Indigenous Peoples as the foundation for their work serves as an unmistakable indicator that the actions to develop talented creative projects that make an important contribution to the great work of preserving our common cultural heritage in all its diversity are headed in the right direction,” Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials and Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Korchunov said.

The Festival, which is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation’s Social Platform with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, aims to showcase the best projects and achievements of representatives of the creative industries in Russia, with an emphasis on unique regional and ethnic features. The participants will pay particular attention to the modern reinterpretation of the traditional creative industries of the Indigenous Peoples of the North.

“The age-old traditions and epos of Indigenous Peoples, as reflected in musical forms, invariably attract the attention of anyone who understands the goal of preserving cultural traditions and the importance of a modern interpretation of creative heritage. It is particularly valuable when this mission finds a response in the talented works of young artists. Contemporary art must have an inextricable link with the national heritage,” President of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North Grigory Ledkov said.

In addition, the SPIEF will address the Arctic agenda with events at the ‘The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ booth of the Russian Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East. The booth’s business programme will feature approximately 15 sessions, including the planned events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council: the sessions ‘Preservation and Monitoring of Arctic Diversity’, ‘The Northern Sea Route. Results and Plans’, ‘The Russian Arctic: A Centre of Attraction. Protected Areas of the 21st Century’, and ‘Film Production in the Arctic: A Dialogue between Nature and Technology’.