GITIS Summer School in Kyrgyzstan brings together Central Asia's theatre community

The fifth GITIS Summer School, an international educational and creative project bringing together lecturers and students from the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS), as well as representatives of theatre universities and companies from Central Asia, has concluded on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, according to the press service of the institute, a partner of TV BRICS.

This year, the school brought together actors from the Uchur State Youth Theatre of Kyrgyzstan, students and lecturers from the Tajik State Institute of Culture and Arts named after M. Tursunzade, and the T. K. Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts. Over the course of ten days, they worked with GITIS lecturers, took part in professional training sessions and participated in creative workshops.

Professor Aidar Zakirov introduced participants to movement and stage combat techniques; Senior Lecturer Tatyana Vasileva conducted classes in stage speech, while Lecturer Ivan Derendyayev taught acting and the fundamentals of sound drama.

Photo: GITIS

A special place in the programme was devoted to exploring the culture of Kyrgyzstan. Participants studied the history and traditions of the Kyrgyz people, became acquainted with the country's folklore, and visited the mountainous areas of the Northern Tien Shan and the region's natural landmarks.

The culmination of the Summer School and the result of the joint work of students and lecturers from various GITIS faculties was a performance of "The White Ship", based on the novella of the same name by Chingiz Aitmatov.

The production brought together the cultural traditions of the peoples of Central Asia and was performed in four languages: Russian, Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Tajik. The performance reflected the region's literary heritage, music and folklore.

During the event, Asan Akhmatov, nephew of Chingiz Aitmatov, presented GITIS Rector Grigory Zaslavsky with a medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of culture and the arts.

The GITIS Summer School is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic.