Children's Dance Theatre "Orlyonok" ("Eaglets" in English) of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Palace of Pioneers, with the support of the regional government, is visiting China to join the Festival of Russian Culture for the first time in its history.

The team will open the tour with a concert in the Russian cultural centre in the Chinese capital. According to the artistic director of the Dance Theatre Anna Endovitskaya, their every dance is a mini-performance of its own:

— We will have a concert dedicated to the Russian culture, where we will work together with a Chinese children's dance team, and at the end we will give a master class on the Kalinka dance. It is important for us to show our culture, the Russian soul, to our Chinese friends. We ourselves are waiting for new experiences in a new country... Many of the kids are already preparing, learning some basic words in Chinese. Wherever we go, returning home, we always bring a new dance. I think that we will be able to get some inspiration in the nearest future.

Orlyonok will proudly perform under the Krasnoyarsk childhood flag. The symbol of the city with a lion cub was handed over to the young dancers by the Acting Head of the Department of Social Development of the Krasnoyarsk City Administration Evgenia Yuryeva:

— I envy our Chinese friends, who in a few days will meet our dancers. Once, the founder of Orlyonok Vera Gudovskaya, blessing us on stage, said that the smiles of the Siberian kids burn brighter than anyone else's. I want our performers to take the stage with this feeling and prove to everyone that the Krasnoyarsk dancers are the best.

Children's Dance Theatre "Orlyonok" named after V.N. Gudovskaya was founded in 1968 at the Palace of Pioneers in Krasnoyarsk. Thousands of children have passed through the team since then. Some of them returned to Orlyonok as teachers. Today, a total of 370 boys and girls aged 10 to 18 are involved in the theatre.