On February 29, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The youth theatre "Koleso" of the "Vitebsk" Cultural Centre has won the IX International Festival of Mask Traditions in Latvia, the BELTA correspondent was informed at the "Vitebsk" Cultural Centre. The festival, held in Vitebsk's twin city Daugavpils, brought together companies from Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus. The jury awarded the first place in the competition of ensembles and individual masks among all contenders to the Vitebsk theatre for its performance a la dell’arte titled "Siniaya ptushka Belarusi" (The Blue Bird of Belarus). It is noteworthy that "Koleso" was in high demand among all participants of the forum: over the three festival days, the company gave 6 performances. On the opening day, at the parade of modern unconventional fashion, masks and hairstyles, "Koleso" presented a theatrical fashion show "Vse delo v svekle" (It's All About the Beetroot). The next day, the company performed at the Daugavpils Gymnasium with a playful dell’arte style theatrical program, took part in sculpting and painting clay masks at the Daugavpils Clay Art Centre, and concluded the day at the Latvian Culture Centre with the "Bulba" (Potato) program. After the intense festival days, the "Koleso" theatre celebrated Maslenitsa together with the townspeople and festival participants on Unity Square. "And this is very symbolic, as it proves that despite the originality of the cultures, traditions, and mentalities of the two peoples, they also have much in common and similar things that can unite them," emphasised the "Vitebsk" Cultural Centre. Along with the Vitebsk theatre, the first place at the festival was also shared by the folklore ensemble Ceiruleits from the Livani region. The second place was taken by the creative team of the Belarusian society "Uzdym" from Daugavpils. -0-

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