Help disabled children to get art classes

Here’s a little report about how our children passed last months:

Maria S. (art specialist):

«Together with the children I visited an extraordinary art exhibition named “Aivazovsky – Living paintings”. Children studied such genre of visual arts as sea landscape. They also learned that the artists who made paintings in marine style were called marine painters. They discovered that Aivazovsky’s real family name was Ovannes. And of course they became deeply engrossed in the epicenter of battles on the sea.

One of our fosterlings, Dasha D. is 17 years old and I have been giving her individual lessons until recently.  Darya took a long time to get used to the fact that she is no longer taking lessons together with kids on wheelchairs and displayed her emotions vividly: she yelled at me, felt aggravated and sometimes came to my class on her own, running away from the group. By now this uneasy stage is over and Dasha’s artwork has also changed. She has finally opened herself along with her vision. Dasha always had her own style in drawing, but while being a part of creative group Dasha always copied. Now the girl found an opportunity to be in the art class on her own together with her pencils. The result followed immediately: Dasha started to draw her inner world, her feelings, her emotions and her love.

Fyodor B. as a remarkable young man who never fails to impress me at every lesson. Fedya knows where everything is placed in the class and almost does not require any help. He is both serious and very naïve at the same time. Fedya discovered a new style in drawing which inspires and cheers up both him and me».

Vladimir K. (music specialist)

Vladimir continues to work with children and to develop their musical talents. The specialist plans to concentrate his efforts on the program of a group performance in the park this summer.

A new boy has come to the orphanage, his name is Davlat and he is only 5 years old. After the specialist invited him to the lesson, he saw that the boy has a lot of motivation and great abilities. The child immediately got interested in all musical instruments which were offered to him. When playing the piano keyboard, the boy tried to find the notes he played earlier and tried all keys until he finally found them.

While giving lessons to Misha S.­­­­ it became clear which instrument he liked the most. It turned out to be tambourine, so the specialist and Misha decided to study various ways of playing this instrument. After 8 lessons the boy already found 5 ways of playing it. Notably he plays by keeping a moderate rhythm in tune of joint play.

Kristina P. (theatre specialist)

We had daily rehearsals with Misha S. and Fedya B. where the boys worked on two sketches. The “Reader” sketch required a minimum of improvisation and a maximum of precise and well-rehearsed work. At the beginning of rehearsals the boys treated this activity as a game where they can fool around and be lazy, but thanks to daily runs, conversations, meeting the adult actors from the city theatre as well as the specialist's insistence on high standards, Misha and Fedya started to take their lessons very seriously. As a result they began to feel their importance on the scene as well as the responsibility they bear.

The “Reader” performance premiered on March 20^th. The actors prepared for the premiere for three months. Daily rehearsals produced good results, the show was excellent!

Of course, one could see that the young actors were nervous since it is a huge responsibility to stand under stage lights for the first time! By the middle of the performance children relaxed and it was noticeable that they enjoy acting. The scenes replaced one another: first Vladimir, our music specialist, and Yarick were reading poems on the scene, then Kristina, the theatre specialist, demonstrated her talent: she sang a song written to Yesenin's lines in a very tender manner. A lot can be said about the action which took place on the scene but in the end it is impossible to describe with words alone, it is necessary to live this time through next to the kids, feel it together with them. After the “Reader” performance Sasha K. told the personnel with pride that on the scene he was not himself but a real writer. Yarick Sh. expressed the desire to perform again and asked when the next rehearsal would be. Children did a great job and the easiness and enthusiasm they express when learning new material proves the diversity of their talent for the hundredth time.