Corporate Fakel Festival final round launched in Vitebsk
RELEASE
Release
Vitebsk (Republic of Belarus) hosted today a grand opening of the final round of the 5th corporate Fakel Festival among amateur creative teams and performers from Gazprom's subsidiary companies and organizations.
Over 1,300 participants (both children and adults) from 36 Gazprom's subsidiaries take part in the final round. They will compete in the following nominations: folklore, vocal (folk, pop, classic and jazz), choreography (folk, pop, ballroom, classic), pop and instrumental groups, pop & circus and magic.
Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee addressed the participants and guests of the Festival with a welcoming speech: “It is the first time the Festival is taking place in Belarus. Vitebsk is a city of festivals with great festival traditions. We have no doubt that the Fakel Festival will be an outstanding and remarkable event in the city's life, and, of course, will once again demonstrate the brotherhood between Belarus and Russia. I would like to wish successful performance to the Festival participants and a great pastime with a lot of cheerful moments to the spectators”.
The Festival will last six days and will end on May 19 with a gala concert and Grand Prize awarding.
Alexey Miller and Vladimir Semashko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Republic of Belarus
Moreover, today in Vitebsk Gazprom's delegation led by Alexey Miller paid a visit to the Great Patriotic War Memorial in the Victory Square and laid flowers at the eternal flame.
Background
The idea to launch a corporate festival was put forward by Gazprom's employees and supported by its management. In 2003 the Gazprom Management Committee endorsed the Resolution on Arranging the Fakel Festival among Amateur Creative Teams and Performers from Gazprom's Subsidiary Companies and Organizations.
The three-round Festival is conducted on a biennial basis. In the first round the best performers from Gazprom's subsidiaries are selected for the zonal festivals. The zonal festivals (southern and northern zones) represent the second round. The zonal festival winners take part in the final third round.
The zonal rounds of the 5th corporate Festival took place in Astrakhan (November 2012) and Tomsk (February 2013).
The jury of the 5th corporate Fakel Festival is represented by reputed Russian and Belarusian arts and culture workers. The jury is chaired by Svyatoslav Belza, People's Artist of Russia, Academician of the Russian Television Academy.