INRTU Winter Ball: a Journey to Tolkien's Magical Middle-Earth
On February 18th, the INRTU Student Campus hosted the Winter Ball with fairy tale elves and hobbits. The evening was dedicated to the journey through the Middle-earth world created by the British fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien.
The ball united students, members of Irkutsk dance clubs and fans of historical reconstruction. The event was organized by the Center for Spiritual and Moral Education headed by Olga Mikheeva. The graduate of the Philology Department of the Irkutsk State University dedicated her thesis to the works by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Olga Mikheeva says that in the early 90s she was looking for material for her thesis on "Good and Evil in the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings". At that time the country officially published two books of this series. The third part was available only in samizdat (self-publishing) form. Olga joined the Society of Science Fiction Fans, where she met her future husband Alexei Mikheev. In fact, it was he who played the role of King Eldarion of Gondor at the Winter Ball.
"The history of our family is closely connected with the writer's work. Two shifts of the INRTU camp 'Rodnichki', where I used to work, were also dedicated to books and films related to Tolkien. The themes of good and evil touched by him are very relevant today, when the world is looking for a new direction. The story of the Hobbits, Frodo and the Ring of Power gives this hope," said the center's director.
The guests of the ball were welcomed by Evgeny Prokhorov, the rector of the Orthodox parish named after St. Sergius of Radonezh. He noted that for centuries people have used the language of dance to express their feelings and their perception of the universe. This art form aims to make us feel someone else as our own extension.
There were no strict plot lines in the ballroom performance, only references to characters and events from Tolkien's universe. The first part was dedicated to the nations involved in the battle against Sauron. Then the dancers turned to the origins of Middle-earth and plunged into the love story of a human and an elf.
Padegras, contradance, cadrille, waltz and other dances this time changed their usual names and music to elven motifs. The guests danced "The White Tree of Gondor", "Starlight", "Hobbit Polka" and others. Several historical dance clubs participated in the preparation of the evening. The rehearsals were conducted by Mikhail Verkhozin, the founder of the Beautiful Epoch studio and an INRTU alumnus.
The theme of the event was reflected in the guests' costumes. Many ladies eschewed lavish crinolines for medieval blyo dresses of flowing fabrics. Fashionistas adorned themselves with elf ears (caffes), while others added tiaras and even shimmering LEDs.
INRTU freshman Anastasia Kontantinova has been participating in the Winter Ball preparations for five years. This year, as an elf, she told the Ball's guests stories about the Middle-earth world, offered to write a message in elven language, composed poems, and treated them to fortune cookies.
"I really like it here. Firstly, I'm a big Tolkien fan, and secondly, events like this bring people together and help them discover themselves in a different way. In everyday life we get few impressions, but here we can learn more about ourselves. Sometimes it's good to escape reality for a while, to learn to see the beauty in the world, and to go back to business with renewed vigor. For example, as a future IT specialist, I like working with computers and doing something with my hands. The ball helps to diversify daily routine," said the student.
The mysterious atmosphere of the Hobbit Ball was enhanced by the Sun and Moon light show. And the exclusive of the evening was the performance by Yulia Tagiltseva - the only harpist in Irkutsk. She played a composition reminding of the first meeting of humans and elves. Fans of Tolkien's books took the performance as a reference to the moment when one of the kings named Finrod played the harp by the fire and sang about the creation of the land of Arda. According to the musician, the light and melodic sound of the harp fits perfectly into the atmosphere of Middle-earth.
Yulia Tagiltseva studied harp in St. Petersburg. Now she works with students and gives concerts, the next one will be on February 24 in the Irkutsk Planetarium. The schedule of performances is available in the Irkutsk Harp group (VK).
Mikhail Mikheev, a master's student of the School of Power Engineering, prefers waltz and polka dances for their dynamism. According to Mikhail, the INRTU event is distinguished by its friendly atmosphere: "Everyone is warmly welcomed here - both professional dancers and those who want to learn to dance, or simply join a certain historical era."
After the weekend, Irkutsk residents began to post photos and share their impressions of the ball on social networks. They called the event an extraordinary event, exciting and inspiring, and admitted that they love parish balls for their unique atmosphere.
The ball will continue with a multi-day quest performance, which Olga Mikheeva plans to organize in different venues, including nature. The author is already writing a script for the interactive and invites everyone to take part in the preparation of the project. For more details please call: 89148934793, e-mail: miheevaov@ex.istu.edu.
Photo by Arseniy Chekmaryov
