Opening Ceremony - Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games
The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games began with a stunning Opening Ceremony on Friday evening (7 March) at Fisht Stadium with a volunteer cast of more than 2,500 people from the Krasnodar region of Russia taking centre stage, and two-time Paralympic champion swimmer Olesya Vladykina and six-time Paralympic champion cross-country skier Sergey Shilov lighting the Paralympic cauldron. With a theme of Breaking The Ice, the Opening Ceremony evoked the spirit of Russia and the importance of breaking down barriers and stereotypes faced by people around the world every day. During his Opening Ceremony speech, IPC President Sir Philip Craven said: Thirty-four years ago when the old Soviet Union declined the opportunity to stage the 1980 Paralympic Games in Moscow, the prospect of Russia staging its first Paralympic Games was nothing but a dream. But dreams do come true, and since winning the Games seven years ago, this part of Russia has undergone a monumental transformation. However, the biggest transformation for this country is still yet to come. In the same way that the city of Sochi has built a barrier free environment for athletes and officials to enjoy, I call upon all those who experience these Games to have barrier free minds, too. The Opening Ceremony began with 126 performers -- dressed in red, white and blue -- marching in perfectly synchronised formations to create dazzling patterns on the field of play and create a human wave of the Russian national flag. The actual flag was then carried into the centre of the stadium by eight people who have been instrumental in improving the lives of people with an impairment in Russia. The Pan-Russian Choir sang a captivating a cappella version of the Russian national anthem. Andree-Anne Gingras-Roy then played a glass organ that rose from underneath the stadium before 504 young ballerinas grace the stage to create patterns of snowflakes before forming the Paralympic Torch. Athletes competing paraded through the central ramp of the stadium, with woodland magic creatures and spirit birds guiding them to their seating area. Over the next nine days, these 547 athletes will compete for 72 sets of medals across five sports in what will be the first ever Paralympic Winter Games held in Russia. With 55 countries broadcast the Sochi 2014 Paralympics and Paralympic.org live streaming more than 300 hours of HD coverage, the Games are expected to break all viewing records and top athletes will become household names around the world. Sir Philip addressed the athletes, saying: You have here superb sporting venues to express your amazing talents and live up to the Paralympic values of determination and courage, inspiration and equality. Together you are the catalysts for change. United as one, you have the ability to change perceptions and alter attitudes like no other. You arrive here as the best prepared athletes ever to attend a Paralympic Winter Games. You will leave as role models, heroes, pioneers and most of all, Proud Paralympians. Dmitriy Chernyshenko, President and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, said: Thanks to the Paralympic Games, a new era in the history of Russia has begun, one without barriers and stereotypes. The Paralympic Games have changed us; they have changed our attitude to those close to us and ourselves. Together, we are learning to be more considerate and attentive to each other. After the Paralympic Flag entered the stadium and the Paralympic Agitos was created by 126 performers, the Athletes' Oath was taken by Russian world champion alpine skier Valeriy Redkozubov, the Officials' Oath by skiing judge Elena Mokerova and the Coaches' Oath by Russian alpine skiing head coach Alexander Nazarov. Pop singer Yulia Samoylova entertained the crowd with their stunning vocals later on in the evening, as 300 ice fisherman painted patterns across the stage. IPC Honorary Board member and opera singer Maria Guleghina sang to the audience on a giant ship as passed through the entire stadium, signifying breaking down barriers and tracing new paths for mankind. The Ceremony culminated with a cast of more than 1,000 torchbearers celebrating the arrival of the Paralympic Torch in the stadium before it was lit by Vladykina and Shilov, and a spectacular fireworks display erupted across the Olympic Park.
Olga Zharinova Video Reel
Olga was born in Moscow to a family of teachers: her father is a senior lecturer of mathematics, and her mother is a deputy principle of a Moscow school. Olga's artistic talent showed in her early childhood. Her parents were quite upbeat about their daughter's going to prestigious English language grammar school and a piano school altogether. When a girl, Olga also learnt at and went on Russia-wide tours with the Vdokhnovenie dancing group. She just turned 11, when a prominent Russian avant-garde stage director Vyacheslav Spesivtsev announced a contest for talented boys and girls for his Moscow Youth Theater in Krasnaya Presnya. Having passed all rounds of the contest with flying colors, Olga was admitted to the theater. She liked it so much that after a course in theater art and a certain stage experience she made up her mind to become an actress. However, this time her parents were strongly against, because her father thought that a serious classical education was a must for his daughter. Olga had to obey and joined the National University of Science and Technology where she majored in higher mathematics, but insisted that she would continue her association with the Youth Theater.
She got her Master's degree in mathematics and, having presented her parents with her education certificated they wanted, decided to find her own way. Olga left Moscow for a tour of the Netherlands with a concert and theater performance in 1991. A decade later, in 2001, she began as a film actress, having chosen a pseudonym Olga Bolbukh. Her aggressive and creative work put her on the list of Top-10 Russian film actresses in 2007, and the annual magazine Kumiry Rossii even called her Russian Monica Bellucci. She has been largely involved in advertising business ever since, working with U.S. pharmaceutical maker Unipharm Inc., world-famous jewelry firm Cartier SA and international brand Dolce & Gabbana. After the film Nekrasivaya, released in 2002, Olga's career in the show business has started to develop rapidly. She was invited to play a variety of parts from 'femme fatale' in Nekrasivaya to a common village girl in Armeyskiye Istorii aka Borodin. Vozvrashcheniye Generala.
Merits and Awards. 1) In 2007 Olga Bolbukh was awarded the Russian 1000 Faces Award as the best Russian Actress in cinema category.
2) The feature film Borodin. Vozvrashenie Generala known under the working name of Armeiskie Istorii won the Top Prize of the 10th DetectiveFEST show of detective films and security-related TV programs. The film got immense popularity in Ukraine.
3) TV series: Zona. Tyuremny Roman was named the most sensational TV project of 2006 in Russia. It was nominated for the prize of the 46th Monte-Carlo Television Festival.
4) Feature film Slushaya Tishinu was awarded:
2007 - The Debut Prize of the Stalker human rights film festival in Moscow. 2007 - A special jury prize for the best debut at the Okno V Evropu film festival in Vyborg. 2007 - A diploma from the jury for the best actor debut at the Okno V Evropu film festival in Vyborg. 2007 - A special prize of the jury at the Moskovskaya Premiera film festival. 5) Feature film Heat was top-selling in Russia in 2007.
6) TNS/Gallup media called Zona. Tyuremny Roman. TV series one of the most rated products of the Russian popular TV channel NTV.
10.2 Two rather short fairytales 2015 Dve nedlinnyk skazki En & Rus subs Russian animation
Watch dailymotion.com/eus347/1 for newest modernday Russian animation & animations blocked by youtube.
Subtitles can be chosen and activated with button at bottom screen.
Animation directed by Elena Kasavina
From the last, 2015, Gora samocvetov (mountain of gems) series
Probably this is actually the last of the 3 episodes of that series, only it was the second I had the time to subtitle (and translate).It stems from the Jewish autonomous region, the only country/region in the world where Jiddish is the official language. So, in the mountain of gems last season,1 more to go. Many thanks to lemicnor for making the Russian subtitles and pointing out the possible translation difficulties for me!