IRINA ALEXANDROVNA KOZYREVA

MASTER-CHOREOGRAPHER,
ART DIRECTOR OF AN EASTERN DANCE STUDIO,
ORGANIZER OF THE FESTIVAL "EASTERN STARFALLING"

She was born in Krasnodar. She has been into choreography since 5 starting from “The Sun” choir in the regional palace of pioneers, moving then into “The Youth of Kuban” choir under the direction of Steshenko Viktor Ivanovich.

She celebrated her 15th anniversary during the Indian concert tour. USSR festival was held in India in 1988 and her choir took part in it. During the 2 months tour the crossed the country from the North to the South, performed in such big cities as Deli, Agra, Goa, Bombay. This tour played a large role in her further life.

She took an external degree in the Cherkessk specialized college of culture and arts on the department of choreography. She was working in the State choir of dancing of Karachaevo Cherkessiya simultaneously. Then she worked in the Krasnodar philharmonic society in the choir of singing and dancing “Cossack freedom” under the direction of Litovchenko Alexander Nikolaevich.

Then followed the study in the Indian cultural centre named after Dzavaharlal Neru attached to the Indian embassy in Moscow. She studied the classical dance Kathak, how to play sitar, the Hindi language and also studied languages and culture of the peoples of the world in the Russian University in Moscow by correspondence.

At this time she received an invitation to study classical dance Bharat-Natyam in India, in the best Kalakshetra school in Madrasa city. She had to combine work and study.

Irina worked a lot in different countries, mainly in Middle East, as choreographer and a solo performer with her big concert programme.

In June 2004 at the instance of her relatives she founded a school of eastern dance, where she teaches the female half of Krasnodar that very Belly Dance which she learned in the East. This is restraint, femininity and not a bit of vulgarity. There are special rules and subtlety in Belly Dance, which were created in the East, and it is not in the principles of Irina Alexandrovna to break these traditions.

This is what Irina Alexandrovna answered to our question what is this work for her:

This is not just a work for me. I have been doing my favourite thing. Recognition and esteem of the audience are very important for an actor, but a real actor, undoubtedly, should have love and respect towards audience and the scene on which he works. There is nothing more pleasant, working in the East with an eastern programme, than to hear the words of gratitude and recognition every day especially from the eastern audience. It is great when you are invited to work on the scenes where such well-known performers of Belly Dance work as Samara, Amani, Gisile, Dany Bistrus. It is so pleasant when your performance is shown on the Libanon television from the beginning to the very end. When I worked in Egypt women, with the words of admiration and gratitude, asked to find time for them and to do some work with them...
I have never had a goal of making a career out of it, everything went naturally. I think that family, husband and children are of the first and main importance for a woman.

I am grateful to my destiny that I was lucky to meet my teachers.

Tamara Alexandrovna, Vera Anatolievna, Svyashenko Natalya Alexandrovna, Steshenko Viktor Ivanovich, Shopina Olga Alexandrovna, Magomet Azamatovich, Belyakina Natalya Alexandrovna, Elena Vasilievna, Balaenko Alexey Semyonovich, Litovchenko Alexandr Nikolaevich, Mrs. Shakti Roberts (Kathak), Dany Bistrus (Livan), Lila Samson (Bharata Natyam), Lubna Imam (Egypt), Rakiya Hassan (Egypt), Zaza Hassan (Egypt), Suher Zaki (Egypt), Sabina (Germany).

Thank you for your knowledge and your love towards art which I absorbed from you. I love you all very much. Kowtow to You!

Ирина Козырева