Entertaining staff and Residents on a blistery, cold – almost Russian-like weather-afternoon, Irina Nekrasova, our new seamstress for the Little Sisters, regaled us with her native Russian culture. She shared her artistic gifts through a vibrant display of Russian hats and dresses created by her hands, dolls creatively fashioned, and music and food. Irina made a traditional Russian salad for the Residents to enjoy with their lunch. After lunch, we gathered in the auditorium as Irina shared more about her motherland. As a seamstress, Irina created many beautiful costumes for herself as well as for her dolls. She shared many dolls dressed in different traditional Russian costumes.
Irina then shared with us her amazing gift as a concert pianist!! Irina began playing the piano in Russia when she was 7 years old. After graduating from music school when she was 15 years old, she then attended the College of Arts in Rostov-on-Don, Russia where she studied piano and chamber music in addition to training to teach piano. After graduating from college, she joined the Rachmaninoff Conservatory where she continued her study of the piano for 5 more years. We were all so blessed that she shared her talents with us. Her beautiful Russian compositions were capped with traditional Russian gypsy music. To the great delight of the Residents, she ended with several Christmas carols and everyone joined in with a hearty sing-along.
Thank you, Irina, for sharing your Russian traditions with us!!
Celebrating Russian Culture