Red Army Singers and Dancers
- Program
- Red Army Singers and Dancers
- Producing Organization
- British Broadcasting Corporation
- Contributing Organization
- Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/512-833mw2965j
- NOLA Code
- RASD
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- Description
- Program Description
- The history of war reveals the song to have been almost an important a weapon to the soldier as his rifle. Down through the ages there has been nothing quite like music to deal with the deep feelings that afflict a man of war, or indeed to bring comfort to his mind and inspiration to his heart. In 1812, for example, the song was an indispensable part of life for the Russian Cossack warrior, who was called upon to rebuff the mighty Napoleon and his French army. And so it was in the great World Wars I and II. In World War II the soldier had to sing to himself if he had no choice, or with others if he had company. But if he was really lucky, he got to hear the Red Army Singers and Dancers which entertained on all fronts during that great global conflict. Rarely did the allied soldier get to hear singing like this. The mighty chorus sang with the precision and power of an infantry battalion the tenors soaring lyrically and the basses roaring forth with a deep and earthy boom. It was easily the finest hour for an ensemble that was created in 1928 by a Moscow Conservatory professor, Alexander Alexandrov, to perform the songs and dances of the Russian army camps. Then a tiny troupe of 12, it now numbers 200 male Soviet artists, including a male chorus of 80, various dancing groups, an orchestra, and a galaxy of soloists. Professor Alexandrov headed the group until his death in 1946, when he was succeeded by his son, Colonel Boris Alexandrov, the present artistic director. The aim of the organization has been to develop love of music and to encourage amateur singing, playing and dancing in the Red Army, and to further international cultural relations. Its musical repertory includes Russian folk and popular songs, marching songs, soldiers songs, and choral works by both Russian and Western composers. This includes Russian folk songs like Kalinka and A Birth Tree, or Zaparozhtsi Dance (Soldiers Dance), or such Western favorites as Annie Laurie or Tipperary in English. The repertory of its acrobatic dances troupes puts the emphasis firmly on spectacle, such as the Dance of the Cossacks, with its gravity-defying leaps and flashing sabres. Even some of the instrumental soloists have to be acrobats. There is, for example, an accordionist who whirls through the air in a fantastic leap without missing a beat of is song. It is from this repertory that the Red Army singers and Dancers has drawn for its second showing on American television, this NET special televised March 19 at 9:10 pm. The episode was recorded by the British Broadcasting Corporation during an actual concert in the Royal Albert Hall in London. The London Evening News called the show one of the worlds great lime-lit attractions, and the Daily Herald called the dances utterly impossible, adding: Muscles surely do not exist to allow these twirling, high leaping and India-rubber contortions nor words to describe the exhilaration of watching them. And the Daily Sketch spoke of the beefsteak bounce in the dancing and the dignified heart in the singing. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Program Description
- 1 hour episode, produced on film in 1965 by BBC.
- Broadcast Date
- 1965-05-07
- Asset type
- Program
- Genres
- Performance
- Topics
- Music
- Performing Arts
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Credits
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Performing Group: Red Army Singers and Dancers
Producing Organization: British Broadcasting Corporation
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2323590-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
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- Citations
- Chicago: “Red Army Singers and Dancers,” 1965-05-07, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed May 19, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-833mw2965j.
- MLA: “Red Army Singers and Dancers.” 1965-05-07. Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. May 19, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-833mw2965j>.
- APA: Red Army Singers and Dancers. Boston, MA: Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-833mw2965j