Paris Welcomes Chechen Dance Band

"Delightful!" was what Pierre Cardin, the famous clothes designer and an ambassador of good will of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, told RIA Novosti when asked to comment on the opening concert of the Chechen dance band Lovzar's tour of Western Europe.

"Lovzar" translated from Chechen means games, joy, merrymaking. As Cardin put it, one actually experiences joy when watching the band in concert.

The couturier noted the "mastery" and "excellent quality" of the dancing turns, as well as the band's "magnificent blend of strength and youth." He was particularly hypnotized by "the gracefulness of the girl dancers, who seem to be floating on air." According to his words, a youth folk ensemble that preserves the cultural traditions of the Chechen nation is greatly important from the social point of view.

Judging by the reaction of the viewers, who literally packed the hall of the Pierre Cardin Theater /the venue that hosted the show/, the young dancers certainly made an impression. Each dance was accompanied by applause and cries of "Bravo!" and "Encore!" The fiery show, which stunned the audience with its beauty and temperament, ended to a thunderous ovation.

Chechnya's well-known politician and entrepreneur Malik Saidullayev, the band's general sponsor and tour organizer, was genuinely touched by the warm reception. "I'm glad Paris had a chance to see real, proud and beautiful Chechens," he told RIA Novosti.

"A dance is the soul of the nation, its traditions and customs," said Saidullayev, adding that the tour organizers had wanted, on the one hand, to "show the soul of the Chechen people" and on the other hand, to display that "Chechnya and Russia are a single whole" and that "the Chechen people is a part of the large family of Caucasian peoples." That was why the program is entitled "Caucasian Dances." Lovzar's tour is being overseen by the UNESCO, whose Director General Koichiro Matsuura noted, in his welcoming address to the members of the band, that their attitude "fully corresponds" with the goals and tasks facing the UNESCO: to "preserve cultural values and traditions of different peoples" and "open dialogue between cultures."