1. Dasha’s interview
2. Gorodki
3. Checkmate
4. Well, just you wait
This episode is featuring
- introduce yourself
- verbs to discuss hobbies and favorite pastimes
- names of musical instruments
-
telling game rules
- one of the favorite Russian cartoons
KEY WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
Я начала заниматься музыкой I began studying music
Я учу детей музыке I teach children piano
Я выступаю с сольными концертами I perform solo concerts
Cтрунный квартет String quartet
Виолончель – виолончелист/ка cello - cellist
Скрипка – скрипач/ка violin - violinist
Пианино – пианист/ка piano - pianist
Я играю на виолончели I play cello
Сейчас я играл в городки I have been playing ‘gorodki’
Эта фигура называется «колодец» This group of skittles is called “well”
Шах и мат! Checkmate!
Кажется, я проиграл It seems, I lose
Я
выиграла! I
win
Cultural Notes
Gorodki (or Russian Street Skittles) is an ancient Russian folk sport that has been played for centuries but now is absolutely forgotten. The target skittles are five cylindrical wooden blocks (about 6" in length) which are set up in a series of 15 distinctive formations. These formations (the towns) are placed inside a chalked square area (the city) 13 meters away from the throwers. The throwers get 1m long heavy wooden batons which they hurl at the skittles in a sideways throw. The aim is to knock all sticks in the town outside of their containing square. Once all skittles have been removed then the next formation is set up.
Gorodki is famed for being a popular game of Lenin, Tolstoy and Gorky and it also makes an appearance in Vladimir Nabakov's 1957 novel Pnin: "The favourite recreation was Gorodki...One drew a big square on the ground, one placed there, like columns, cylindrical pieces of wood...and then from some distance one threw at them a thick stick, very hard, like a boomerang, with a wide development of the arm. I still hear the trakh! when one hit the wooden pieces and they flew into the air."