2010 News and Events
African American History Month Speaker Gina Loring Conquered the Hearts of Urals Citizens
2010/01/02
Gina Loring & Izumrud on stage of Yekaterinburg Chamber Theater
Four public performances to the crowded halls in two large cities of the Urals, a self-made poetry show with the university students, live talk shows on TV and radio, and a lot of creative energy, mutual appreciation and good will – these are just a few immediate results of the visit to the Urals of a young American poet, singer and actress Gina Loring. Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Yekaterinburg invited Gina to Russia in occasion of the African American History Month celebrated in February. Having a multi-cultural background that in addition to African-American roots included Ukrainian and Latvian ancestry, Gina’s fascinating personality and sparkling talent charmed everybody who listened to her poetry and singing.
Gina started her program on January 26 with a visit to the American Center at the Yekaterinburg Mayor’s Library, where she acquainted students and teachers with the hip hop poetry genre. Gina read her poems full with emotion and addressing many controversial social issues. This led to a lively Q&A session, in which the audience discussed creative writing.
On January 27 Gina Loring visited the Sverdlovsk oblast musical college, an institution that provides professional musical and pedagogic education to musically gifted orphans among other students. It was a unique opportunity for the young musicians to listen to the original modern American poetry and meet such a bright artist. To greet the American guest the students prepared a concert that featured hip hop dance, jazz singing and classical music performances.
On January 28 the Consul General Tim Sandusky hosted a reception in honor of Gina Loring that gathered the poets, musicians, educators, journalists, and hip hop artists. This was a premiere for Gina’s poetry translated into Russian by Vadim Osipov, a poet and deputy chairman of the Yekaterinburg Branch of the Russian Union of Writers. Mr. Osipov did a great job translating Gina Loring’s poems as well as reciting them in a style close to her manner of delivery – thoughtfully and emotionally. The guests received yet another surprise when a local Russian folk band called “Izumrud” stepped in to accompany Gina’s jazz and blues songs. The combination was a great success to the admiration of everybody present.
On January 30 Gina Loring traveled 5 hours west of Yekaterinburg to the city of Perm, famous for its vibrant cultural life. Gina’s reading of her poems in the newly opened theater “Stage-Molot” moved the audience as much as her soulful singing. Commenting on her performance the guests said that it was hard to believe that such a mix of jazz-soul-blues and hip hop was even possible and equally beautiful.
The hip hop poetry workshop for youth, hosted by the Ural State University, was a central event in Gina Loring’s program. She said that her mission was to help the students open up, find their own voice and be able to express their thoughts, emotions and ideas publicly. On February 4, the audience of almost 100 guests enjoyed the student final performance called the “Museum of Yekaterinburg”. Over twenty students read their poems, sang and performed rap that they had composed during the 6-days workshop. The sincere, beautiful and at times funny poems about family relations, love, the city and personal reflections could not help but move the audience. Each one of Gina’s students felt encouraged and inspired, developing their voices and having new skills to express them.
On February 2, Gina Loring read her poems at the Yekaterinburg Branch of the Russian Writers Union. The writers asked her multiple questions about the style and the content of her poetry. Gina said that she wrote from her heart and laid down what she felt necessary and important to say at that particular moment. She confirmed that she was socially active and kept abreast of what’s going on in her neighborhood, city, country and the world.
The final show at the Yekaterinburg Chamber Theater on February 5 was a powerful chord of Gina Loring’s international song that echoed in many hearts. Gina was at her best reciting the poems and treating the public with the beauty of her jazz, blues and hip hop melodies. Vadim Osipov read his translations with an artistic elegance. The favorite musicians of the Yekaterinburg public, the ensemble “Izumrud” accompanied Gina with wonderful original arrangements. In the final song Gina included a few lines from the Russian well-known folk song “Birch tree” to the positive astonishment of the public which immediately caught it up and sang along with the African American artist.
Gina Loring also got the attention of the local media. She made appearances in the morning show “Morning Express” at Channel 4, Yekaterinburg’s most popular TV station, in the musical program on radio PilotFM together with the local hip hop band EK-Playerz and in the super popular radio morning show Katapulta. Yekaterinburg leading TV stations Channel 4, Vesti-Ural, and Studiya-41 made newscasts about Gina Loring’s visit. Yekaterinburg musical TV station ERA TV affiliated with MTV made a story about Gina Loring in their weekly Art Cocktail program. It included an extensive interview with Gina and some of the footage made at Gina’s improvised concert at the local musical college. Gina Loring’s visit to the Ural reached a wide audience through the media, giving the Ural residents a taste of American culture through the hip hop poetry classes and performances.