Russian Dances. Photo by Aleksey Shepelev

The University of California at Berkeley is home to many Russian-speaking students. Until recently there was no well-organized place where they could meet to share their interests and socialize. Now there exists a newly formed UC Berkeley Russian Student Association (RSA) which unites two student organizations: the Russian Club, run mainly by Cal undergraduates, and the Russian-Speaking Graduate Student Society that has graduate students and professionals as its target audience. In reality, RSA is formed by a bunch of students who are passionate about sharing their culture with others, finding like-minded people and building a network of smart and talented Russian-speaking students and professionals. The Cal environment is a great catalyst for that.

RSA’s biggest event is the biannual Culture Show, which is a live performance event featuring presentations of the cultures of Russia and the former Soviet Republics, traditional music and dancing, poetry recitals, live classical and rock music. The previous two Culture Shows took place in April and December 2010, and on April 29, 2011 RSA will host its third Culture Show. The performances are done by Cal students and local artists, including rock bands from the greater Bay Area.

Timur and Andrei. Photo by Valentina Sadiul

It will be a gathering where you can meet many interesting people who share the same background and interests, sing some songs you may have heard before, learn about Eastern European and Eurasian cultures, eat traditional food and just have a great time. The Culture Show will take place on the UC Berkeley campus in 145 Dwinelle Hall at 7pm. If you would like to learn more about the RSA and the Culture Show, visit their website at russian.berkeley.edu.