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Today our STARTALK students listened to a wonderful presentation by our teaching assistant Sasha Vargas about traditional Russian clothing. The first item of clothing they learned about was traditional women’s dresses. The first type of traditional women’s dress our students learned about was the sarafan. A sarafan is a loosely fitting, long jumper dress worn over a long linen shirt and belted. A necessary component of traditional Russian dress, the belt was often worn under the sarafan. Next, students learned…

On this day, 83 years ago, famous actress Liya Akhedzhakova was born in Dnipro, Ukraine (USSR). Akhedzhakova starred in many films throughout her career, including the very popular “Office Romance” (Служебный роман). She won an award for this film in 1971 called Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR. She also won other awards, including best supporting actress for the movie “Promised Heaven” (Небеса обетованные). In 1956 she entered the Moscow Institute of Nonferrous Metals and Gold where she studied for eighteen…

Today our STARTALK Russian Intermediate instructor, Irina Pidberejna, gave a fantastic presentation on traditional Russian painting styles, and led a workshop where students emulated these styles in their own art. Some of the styles included in the presentation are Гжель (Gzhel) and Мезенская Роспись (Mezen Ornament). Мезенская Роспись originated at the end of 19th century in villages around the river Mezen. It is characterized by only red, black, and white colors, while also featuring deer, horses, and geometrical patterns. The…