MOSCOW, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Kostroma Russian National Ballet launched a new stage of the international cultural and educational project Global Dance Overture with a performance here on Monday.
The project is supported by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian Ministry of Culture, the Rossotrudnichestvo agency and the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives. It seeks to bring BRICS countries closer together through the universal language of folk dance.
The event, held as an international youth meeting titled "Dance as a Dialogue of Cultures," brought together Russian and foreign students, representatives of the diplomatic corps, and members of the cultural and choreographic communities.
In a video address for the opening ceremony, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Global Dance Overture had become "one of the most convincing examples of what we call cultural diplomacy."
Maria Veshkina, vice-president of the Kostroma Ballet, said the project's main idea was to demonstrate that folk dance can serve as a universal language.
"We want to show how dance without words can unite all of us," said Veshkina, adding that people from different countries, with different mentalities and who speak different languages can understand each other.
One of the key outcomes of the first stage was the establishment of the BRICS Alliance of Folk Dance, a professional community bringing together creative and educational organizations.
The event featured a performance by the Kostroma Ballet, a screening of the film "The Path of the Project" and a presentation of the new stage's itinerary. It concluded with a mass "Round Dance of Friendship," with the audience joining the performers. ■