Children are an endless source of inspiration!

Leonid Fradkin, head of the V.S. Loktev Song and Dance Ensemble, recently received the honorary title of Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation. We met with Leonid Fradkin and talked about the traditions of the legendary team, young artists and teachers.

– How do the young artists of the ensemble perceive the main person – the head of the ensemble?

– Together with the teachers, I try to organize the process of classes, rehearsals, performances in such a way that the children would be interested, because a lot depends on their enthusiasm: their mood, success in the classroom, the brightness of the concert numbers, the reaction of the audience in the hall. I consider the guys my younger colleagues, I talk to them like adults, even if they are still very small. I hope I am both an authority for them, and a senior comrade, and a colleague. A funny moment: when the children ask me to take a picture with me and stand next to me, I call this scene “Grandfather Mazay and the hares”. It turns out a big family photo, everyone really likes it, and I am the first.

– You worked as the director of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, deputy general director of the Moscow International House of Music … all these are groups of adults. How do you feel around children?

– I am a happy person, because all my life I do what I like. And now I have, perhaps, the most interesting occupation. Although if someone had told me earlier that I would have to work with children, I would have been extremely surprised … However, now there is a feeling that I am in my place and I am proud of my young artists and teachers. We are a team of additional education, but with a very high professional level, it is not for nothing that we are invited to speak at the leading venues in the country. For example, recently our team performed at the All-Russian Festival of Folk Art “Dance and Sing, My Russia!”. Young artists of the choreographic group of the ensemble performed the Russian dance “Zimushka-winter” staged by the Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation Marina Egorova and the Honored Worker of General Education of the Russian Federation Denis Berko. This is one of the iconic creative performances of the group, which is always enthusiastically accepted by the audience.

– How is the repertoire that the ensemble works on determined?

– I work with very talented colleagues, many of whom grew up in this ensemble. Then they received higher education and returned to us in the status of teachers. Therefore, for them, the traditions of the Loktev Ensemble are not just a job, but a way of life. The values ​​laid down by the great founders of the ensemble – in this case I’m talking about Vladimir Sergeevich Loktev and those people who worked with him – Alexei Ilyin, Elena Ross. And now Anna Averyanenko, Marina Egorova, Denis Berko, Alexander Safronov and others continue these traditions and develop them in their own vision. Our repertoire includes songs in different languages ​​of the peoples of the world, we have dances from different countries and continents. And recently we made the project “History of intelligence, the history of the country. Nuclear Shield. A completely unexpected thing! It would seem that what could be common between intelligence and the Loktev Ensemble? But we have made a real performance-lesson, which is a huge success, it was recently shown in full on the federal TV channel. Through creativity, we told the children about the historical events that took place after the Great Victory – about the creation of a nuclear shield for our Motherland. These are pages of our history that we should be proud of. Moreover, a fragment of this performance was shown in Japan. Both Japanese children and adults were simply amazed at how well Moscow children know history. And then the Japanese children gave my children a set of sweets that they made with their own hands. It was a very touching moment…

– Moscow now offers ample opportunities for the development of the talents of children in different groups, many children sing and dance. Do you observe competition between ensembles or children?

– The more I think about this issue, the more I am convinced that there can be no competition among children. Because in Moscow there are a huge number of opportunities to demonstrate your talents and ideas, a million venues and events where you can perform and show yourself. And I have a very bad idea of ​​competition among children, especially in the field of creative additional education. There is a wonderful song “Childhood is me and you” by Yuri Chichkov to the words of Mikhail Plyatskovsky, which has become our hallmark. There are such words: “Children should laugh and live in a peaceful world.” This is exactly the dominant that should be in children’s creativity.

Do you keep in touch with your former pupils? Which one are you proud of?

We are proud of everyone. Every person who was engaged in the ensemble. At one time we gathered a choir of graduates. There were people who graduated from the ensemble 40 years ago! And when they stood on the same stage with today’s kids, it was wonderful and incomparable. Now we are planning to revive this team. Especially for this, we even invited a choirmaster who worked with the choir 40 years ago. This is the legendary choir conductor José de Felipe Arnais. We became very good friends with him.

– Whom do you accept in the team, only the most talented ones?

– There are no untalented people! The main thing is that adults see the spark of abilities. We work with all children. Our task is to teach them to work, make friends, play music together and get great pleasure from it. The main thing is that the “Loktev brotherhood” allows children to communicate all their lives later. And for me this is more important than whether one of them becomes a musician or an artist. This is the choice of every child. His path, abilities and desires. We do not train professionals; as a team of additional education, we have other tasks.

– What would you like to wish all the Moscow children involved in creativity in the new year?

– From the bottom of my heart I wish absolutely all the children, regardless of their hobbies, as well as their parents and teachers, health, peace and happiness!

Stanislav Kravchenko.

Photo: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/144LDPJjjgN0k6LxcwpGB1cVdP4tBuTGl?usp=share_link