Some 500 people flocked to the sumptuous Ball Room of the Cercle Cité on Saturday night to attend this year’s Russian Charity Ball, a night of glamour, extravagance and solidarity, dedicated to the Russian culture.
In its third edition, the Charity Ball brought together the best of Luxembourg’s and Russia’s artistic and culinary heritage celebrating the excellent long-term relations between the two countries.
As one of the major events of the year for the Russian community in Luxembourg, the Ball reunited personalities of local and international political and business scenes, including Deputy Prime Minister Etienne Schneider, and offered participants a varied line-up of live music performances, piano, ballet, rhythmic gymnastics and fashion.
A varied line-up of live music, fashion and ballet acts
Russian baritone singer Evgeny Dmitriev performed a duet with piano master Igor Zapravdin, Prima Ballerina at the Dutch National Ballet Larisa Lezhnina and her partner Jozef Varga mesmerised the audience with a two-act ballet performance, while young gymnasts form the local ‘‘Rythmo Cats’’ group showcased their dancing skills.
The night also included a fashion show exhibiting dresses by ‘‘Hervé Léger’’ and jewellery by Luxembourg’s ‘‘Schroeder Joailliers’’ and a live performance of numerous international pop tunes by French orchestra ‘‘Chic Planet’’.
Paintings by famous Bulgarian and Russian artists were on display
While a number of paintings by Bulgarian artist Pavel Mitkov and Russian Fine Arts Academy member Victor Lukyanov were exhibited at Cercle Cité on the night to raise funds for charities ‘‘SOS Village d’Enfants’’ and ‘‘Podsolnuh’’, event participants were also encouraged to take part in the Ball’s tombola and auction.
The Charity Ball was co-moderated by local TV Presenter Monica Semedo and Russian artist Gennadi Lerner. It included an exquisite six-course menu by Luxembourg-based Michelin-starred chef Renato Favaro.
Funds raised on the night to be donated to several charities in Russia
Funds raised at the Russian Ball 2014 will be used to finance the ‘‘Pskov’’ FamilySupportCenter for children and women in crisis situations as well as to fund the ‘‘Podsolnuh’’ charity foundation for children with life-threatening immune diseases.
Members of the public can also donate money for the good causes, by using the services of local taxi operator Webtaxi. They will donate to the Russian Ball 20 percent of profits obtained before the end of January.
The Russian Ball has raised some 78.000 euros in its two previous editions and was organised by The Russian Club of Luxembourg, a non-profit cultural organisation founded by Russian speakers in 2009.
To find out more about the Russian Club of Luxembourg, please visit http://www.russki.lu.
An article published on January 19 on Wort English
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