Beryozka (N.S.
Nadezhdina State Academic Beryozka Dance Ensemble) was founded in 1948 by a talented
choreographer Nadezhda Nadezhdina. The company’s name (meaning a birch tree in Russian) is derived from
their first stage production, a Russian girls’ round dance to the folk song There was a birch tree in the field. This
production outlined the general direction of the ensemble’s evolution. Dances staged
by the People's Artist of the USSR Nadezhda Nadezhdina, the company’s artistic
director, including Tsepochka (Chain),
Lebedushka (Little Swan), Tsvety Polevye (Field Flowers), Sudarushka (Fair
Lady), Pryalitsa (Spinning Wheel), Balagury (Jesters), and Yamshchiky
(Coachmen), became a milestone in choreography, creating a new stage identity
of Russian folk dances.
Nadezhdina was
succeeded in 1980 by Mira Koltsova, the company’s leading soloist (Artistic Director
and Chief Choreographer of the ensembleuntil 2022). Preserving the ensemble’s
best traditions, she added new imagery and modern sound. Her most impressive
choreographic pieces include Kolokoltsy
(The Bells), Kruzhevnitsy (Lacemakers), Rechenka (The River), Osenny Khorovod
(Autumn Round Dance), Komarik (Mosquito), and Petrushka. Costumes were an essential
element of Beryozka’s productions. The company’s first costume designer was
Lyubov Silich, who passed the tradition on to Grigory Belov and Tatiana
Shamina.
Beryozka ensemble
includes a Russian folk instruments orchestra with most of the repertoire created
by composers Yevgeny Kuznetsov, Viktor Temnov, Vladimir Kornev, Yevgeny
Derbenko, and Philipp Koltsov. Since 1995, the orchestra has been headed by
Leonid Smirnov who joined the ensemble in 1967 as a solo accordionist and participated
in many performances as a dancer as well. In 2002 he was awarded the title of
People's Artist of Russia.
Beryozka’s performances
are always acclaimed by the audience. “Instead
of reading 200 volumes about Russia, you could just watch one show of Beryozka
to understand what the Russian manner, the Russian character, and the Russian nature
are,” French media wrote following the Paris tour of the ensemble.
In 1959, the World
Peace Council awarded Beryozka with a Gold Medal for their contribution to enhancing
friendship among peoples.
Speaking of the company’s
principal features, People's Artist of the USSR Mira Koltsova said: “We differ
from other folk groups, for our founder, Nadezhda Nadezhdina, created a
signature genre involving text, choreography, thinking, and the Russian idea.
We don't dance just for the sake of the dance. Our artists must think, they
must be intellectuals, seeking maximum expression with minimum gesture.”
