Most American reports about events in Russia, including mine, cover events of some negative connotations. Meanwhile, in spite of the economical problems and the war in Ukraine, a lot of young Russians lead a normal life of happy youths.
On April 17 in the fourth-largest city in Russia, Yekaterinburg, a new Russian records was set for the greatest number of couples simultaneously hugging. The flash mob was attended by 552 people. Cuddling couples lined up in a chain about half a kilometer long. The record (276 couples) was officially registered in the Russian Book of Records. Each participant received a souvenir pillow in the shape of a heart, symbolizing love and warm embrace.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahj96xQNxRY“>
This type of flash mobs is very popular in modern Russia. Here is the video made this winter: young Muscovites dancing Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ On The Ritz” in front of Moscow University.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sDqmEU_avg
To give one more example, here is a typical Moscow flash mob, which took place three years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoGaGi_0j3Q
Unfortunately the rules of life are changing today in Russia and not all dances are accepted now by Russian authorities. A couple of weeks ago Russian media discussed a scandal concerning teenagers who danced sexy “twerk” in a dance school.
Last week this story had an unexpected continuation. For years youth of the city of Novorossiysk used to dance in a field in front of a WWII Memorial. Now several girls who dared to dance twerk in front of the memorial were put in prison for 15 days for “insult to memory of the heroes of the war”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7w_JiKgwro
Every may 1 for eleven years, young people of the capital of Siberia – Novosibirsk (the native city of my wife) – the third-largest city in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg, gathered for the event, which they called Monstration – a carnival, a parody of a political demonstration. 4000 people participated in the event in 2014.
Monstration, Novosibirsk, 2014
Monstration, Novosibirsk, 2014
The texts on the banners were mostly puns and absurd jokes: “Nonimaginable!”, “I make bird houses!”, “Who needs rhetorical questions?”; “Address all the questions to beavers.”
As you can see it was difficult to find something political in the event. Nevertheless this year the Monstration in Novosibirsk was banned and one of it’s organizers was put into prison.
Russian artists react differently to the new developments of the Russian cultural climate.
The latest sensation in the Russian Internet was considered really controversial. A popular music producer, Valeriy Polienko, introduced a music video of “Little foxes”, a new band he created. The “Little foxes” are half naked 12 years old boy and girl, who passionately kiss each other. Their sexy embraces are intercut with a newsreel of the WWII Victory parade in Moscow. Their song consists of only one sentence: “If one changes the rules of the game, one can win everything!” – the obvious reference to Putin’s politics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GRM8ROrDE0
There is no official Russian reaction to the video yet.
