Balalaika Stooges. Russian music ensemble. New York-Pennsylvania
Russian music ensemble "Balalaika Stooges" musicians: Sasha Ressetar (balalaika), Michael L. Sensor (balalaika), Andy Koslow (balalaika contrabass), Serge Rogozin (balalaika), and Rick Heeld, playing Balalaika with pick, balalaika
with finger and domra. We trained with Steve Wolownik, the Lady who ran
the St. Andrews Balalaika group. We also trained with ourselves, (like all
real worthwhile enterprises if you catch my drift.)
We like playing the deep in the heart Pennsylvania sound. Serge plays at a
higher level and will be insulted by this so you should write to him for
how he likes to play.
Rick Heeld (with domra)
We got our start years ago when somebody asked for balalaika music and all
the other musicians had snuck out to the bar and we were the only ones
left holding instruments. We are at the bottom of the darwin evolution
tree, yet like cockroaches, when all the other fancy musicians have died
out we will be around playing our rote, repetitive, neuron burned in russian music
for mall shoppers who believe we are the venice manadolin choir.
Serge Rogozin (with balalaika)
We will work for lodging, eats and booze and late night party sing-a-long
and dance-a-longs. Some of us will work for access to Russian
musicological PhD thesis. One of us will work for GI Joe dolls. Giving us
a map to where you want us to play your gigue gaurantees we show up
otherwise we get lost a lot. We like our vodka neat, our shoes unpolished, and all sheet music shredded.
13 seconds videoclip (MPG format)
Report of the 68th Novogodniy Ball, near PennDel, PA 16 Jan 04
Sasha Ressetar, Serge Rogozin and Rick Heeld attended the 68th Novogodny ball near the decrepit town of
PennDel, PA. Sasha (moe), the organizer and musical leader contacted The PennBO balalaika force pool to see if they wanted to play the job,
Larry (rick) and Curly (Serge) answered the call for an informal PennBO cluster-jam performance.
Balalaika player Sasha Ressetar
Upon arrival we discovered the "official" swing band knew how to play
"the good stuff." The dancing was a joy to behold. A whole ballroom
of dancers doing polkas, line dances, waltzes, chicken dance,
hopaks......AND troika, konoithcka...etc these guys know their old
style russian folk ballroom dances. This sophisticated,
spelling-challenged, erudite, boulivadier of a New York City dweller
got his badly needed "deep Pennsylvania" shmengy brothers polka fix.
While we were not "an official part" of the festivities, we did crash
the main dining hall, "for a nominal fee" and played at one of the
tables while the swing band was taking a break....much to the delight
of the ball attendees who took a gadjillion photos and movies of us.
With the showman-like-precision of trained circus poodles we performed
brilliantly and also delighted the band on break. They even paid the
"Three Stooges" the compliment of thanking us for our wonderful
"mandolin playing". The fact that it was heartfelt made it all the
more poignant.
Afterwards the Three Stooges repaired to an upstairs hotel party room
were we serenaded guests with all the tunes that we were able to
"remember-that-we-know" as opposed to the much larger set of all
"the-tunes-that-we-know", if you get the reporters drift. We wowed the
late night hard core revelers until the early hours of the morning.
The audience got a chuckle when Larry (Rick) said to the audience,
"You should all be more drunk and be singing!", one person in the
audience bemoaned the fact that "nobody drinks like they used to any
more"......touching indeed. The crowd all remembered Steve Wolownik
and somebody suggested lovingly that we go to Steve's cemetery and dig
him up. Yes, I wish we could have.
With the conclusion of the musical soiree the three Stooges repaired
to their Stateroom, noticing the much improved quality over the
previous gig's "Three Judges" unhygienic, sticky wall, one hour rental
rates, level three decontamination required, motel in CT. Radissons
are truly welcome step up from our usual dreck.
The micro-miniture-pennbo-Troikathon ended Monday morning with an
earnest study of the Maury Puavitch show. After much discussion and
analysis the Stoogies agreed that teen pregnancy indeed not a good idea.
All in all, Sasha has proven himself as a leader and everybody in the
greater Penn Balalaika force pool can rest assured of his abilities
the next time he is selected for leading a job.
Black cats dressed in Russian folk costumes with balalaikas
Russian folk costume designer Svetlana Gavrilova has made a set of black cats dressed in Russian costumes with balalaikas. To view all photos you may need to join Balalaika Group on Google Network.
to view all cats with balalaikas dressed in Russian folk costumes
Russian New Year's characters Father Frost and Snow Maiden
Ded Moroz and Snegurochka (Russian: Дед Мороз и Снегурочка)
Father Frost and Snow Maiden are the most important characters of the New Year's celebration in Russia. Father Frost (Ded Moroz, Russian: Дед Мороз) plays a role similar to that of Santa Claus. The literal translation of the name would be "Grandfather Frost". However, English-speakers traditionally translate "DED MOROZ" as the alliterative "FATHER FROST". Ded Moroz is always accompanied by his granddaughter Snegurochka - Snow Maiden (Russian: Снегурочка).
New York based ensemble Barynya created a special Russian New Year's program with traditional Russian winter songs, dances and music: "In the forest a fir-tree was born" (V Lesu Rodilas' Yolochka), "Small Fir Tree is Freezing during the Winter" (Malen'koi Yolochke Kholdno Zimoy), "The snowstorm is blowing along the street" (Metelitsa), "Father Frost" (Moroz-Moroz), "Five minutes" (Pyat' Minut).
Ded Moroz and Snegurochka are available for hire in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania (within 100 miles driving distance from New York City). For a fast price quote contact Mikhail Smirnov
Father Frost and Snow Maiden - Ded Moroz and Snegurochka in New York City - photos
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RELATED LINKS
Balalaika Balalayka Балалайка
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Christmas Diary of the balalaika player
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Russian dance and music ensemble Barynya from New York
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Russian Balalaika duo from Philadelphia, Pennsilvania
Russian Balalaika and Garmoshka Duo
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Brooklyn Balalaikas
The Balalaika Russe
Russian music duo from Chicago, Illinois
Balalaika Stooges
Kalinka Duo: balalaika and bayan from Austin, TX
Alex Siniavski - Balalaika virtuoso from Philadelphia, PA
Lev Zabeginsky - New York balalaika virtuoso
Sasha Ressetar - balalaika player from Harrisburg, PA
Simon Lemberskiy - balalaika player from Brooklyn, New York
Contrabass Balalaika player Leonid Bruk
Sergey Vashchenko - Balalaika virtuoso from Austin, TX
Balalaika tutorial DVD by Alex Siniavski
Balalaika Virtuoso Bibs Ekkel
Russian Christmas Music Balalaika Album
Balalaika music album "Barynya Russian folk songs"
The Balalaika and Domra Association of America
BDAA 2007 Festival of Russian Music
The Balalaika and Domra Association of America 2006 photos
BDAA 2005 conference in Madison, Wisconsin video
BDAA 2005 conference in Madison, Wisconsin photos
School of playing balalaika contrabass (in Russian)
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PennBO· Penn Balalaika Orchestra Alumni Assoc.
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view all photos in high resolution
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