Brandeis-Genesis Institute
for Russian Jewry

Reflections

Julia Livit '13

Word came out about this event in January and I was extremely excited from the start. I was youtube-ing Russian music all the time and thinking of what I could possibly do. All I knew was that I wanted to be very involved in this occasion. The next step was to find people who would be willing to participate. After a lot of convincing, the group consisted of Annie Livit, Renata Ivanov, Lev Gorfinkel, Eli Tukachinsky, Mike Gurevich, and myself.

My group chose the song "Ne Para" by Nastya Kamenskih and Potap. Our next big issue was to decide what to do with three guys and three girls. Immediately, we all thought of a skit. We decided not to choreograph most of the parts and just see what would happen when we interacted with each other. It turned out that we worked really well together! However, the music had a segment where it was necessary to have a little dance put in, so the real work began. The girls' job was to be outwardly sexy, while the guys had to embody Russian gangster-rappers. The overall performance and event was a big success, and we all tremendously enjoyed performing on behalf of Brandeis' Russian community. I know all the effort we put in was worthwhile because every time I think back to the event, I just cannot stop smiling!

Annie Livit '13

For the International Women's Day Celebration event, I was able to work behind the scenes in publicity, as well as participate in the program. My job as a publicity coordinator was to publicize this event to the entire Brandeis community by effectively utilizing flyers, banners, Facebook events, and other means of communication. These measures proved to be very successful because many people showed up, making the event an enormous success.

In addition to being in the audience to support my peers, I participated in a Russian rap song by Potap and Nastya Kamenskih. Six people from my Russian for Russians class performed in this rap skit, and we all had to memorize the lyrics. After listening to the song a few times, we all fell in love with it, making it easier to remember. Every night before going to sleep, some of us would get together and sing it so that it would stick in our heads. This was a great experience for me because I have never sung a Russian rap song before, especially with my Russian friends.  When getting together to practice, I remember more laughter than serious rehearsal time. We encouraged each other to do more risqué dance moves and to improvise new ideas. Another part of practice that I loved was that we all spoke mainly Russian to each other. This is very rare among heritage speakers, so I enjoyed it that much more.

When actually performing our skit at the event, I felt very comfortable in front of the audience. I was especially happy that our skit put smiles on people's faces and made them laugh. I was also very excited to be a part of something that I can now look back to with a lot of pride. Like most Russians in the U.S., I want to be involved in a greater part of my culture and background. This popular holiday is always an enjoyable and magical celebration, and this year especially, because there was nothing better than seeing my peers express their many talents and get recognized for it.

Students celebrate International Women's Day

The Hoot, March 12, 2010

The university celebrated the International Women's Day Celebration Wednesday in the ICC Swig Lounge. Students, parents and faculty dined on Russian food and watched several performances, varying from recitations of poetry to traditional Russian folk dances.

Though the holiday originated in the former Soviet Union, it is now annually celebrated on an international basis.

Julia Rabkin '11, President of the Russian Club, and Diana Aronin '11, acted as emcees and hosted the event.

The celebration was also a fundraiser for the Adamov Fund, a non-profit organization that helps talented blind youth in Russia. Each audience member was encouraged to donate a minimum of three dollars to help raise money for equipment such as sturdy canes, used computers and Braille materials.

This, the third consecutive year of the International Women's Day Celebration, was its most successful event yet. Women were honored specifically at the end of the festivities when each woman in attendance was offered a rose as a symbol of beauty.

By Morgana Russino, Staff