Culture: Arts festivals brings city Sochi’s traditional styles to L. B

LONG BEACH — Sochi may not be a household name to most Americans, but the Russian Sister City to Long Beach is well-known to travelers from across Russia and other Eastern European countries.

Natalia Tsygikalo, the president of Sochi’s «Buyan Ostrov» international arts festival brought Russian fashion and art to the Long Beach-Sochi, Russia Sister City Committee on Saturday in the former Veterans Memorial State Office Buildings at 245 W. Broadway. Designer Irina Belopukhova talked about the virtues of her country’s fashion, which blends and modern styles.

«Its great clothing for a woman who wants to be different», said Sasha Razor, who translated for Belopukhova’s narration at the show, where 10 local models traversed the building’s open, landscape courtyard to modern, Russian-tinged dance music. «If a woman wants to follow the crowed, that isn’t her client».

The models were a mixture of Cal State Long Beach foreign language students and women who are members of the Sister City committee, Razor said. Belopkuhowa was impressed by the vibrancy of the older woman here, in comparison to back home: «(They’re) very liberated, very free, and realy enjoy themselves», she said.

The fashion show also featured the fashion designs of Tatyana Smirnova and Nadia Voronova, as well as traditional music and displays of several pictures and cloth patchwork art works. Tsygikalo, who also will preside over next month’s festival in Sochi, will bring a piece of the Greater Long Beach arts scene back to Russia next month, when photographer Ryan Jurisch goes to the festival.

«I’m always down for a good adventure, which this sounds like», said Jurisch, who has a photo studio in San Pedro and whose works include a series of sensual snapshots of fruit and flora.

The annual festival is named after the mysthical «Buyan ostrov» (Buyan Island), which is said to be the home of the forefathers of the ancient Slavic tribes, and the place where nature’s creative Forces are concentrated, Tsygikalo said. There also should be plenty of creativity next month in Sochi, an easy-going city that reminded Long Beach resident Robert Travis of home.

«The people there are freer, looser (than Moscow)», said Travis, a member of the Sister City Committee who once taught Science of Mind classes in Moscow and Sochi.

«They live in a wonderful place…To live there really has a profound effect».

David Rogers, «Sunday Press-Telegram», Long Beach, California