Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI) was privileged to once again host the Chicago Consular Corps Ball on Thursday, September 20 at the Four Seasons Chicago. The international guest list included members of the 84 foreign Consulates and Honorary Consulates in Chicago.
Read MoreWhen I founded Growing Through Arts, I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children and encourage them to become interested in and inspired by the arts.
So I was delighted to attend and donate to the “Fashion of the Opera" fundraiser on Friday, October 5, which was presented by the American Chamber Opera and benefited the Merit School of Music — two institutions that both support young people in studying and performing music.
Read MoreOn June 29, I had the pleasure of visiting Alaska Dance Emporium — the only place in Alaska where Russian Pointe is sold! Owner Michelle Palmatier has been carrying Russian Pointe shoes exclusively for three years.
“It’s like getting a custom shoe without getting them custom made,” Palmatier said of Russian Pointes. “I don’t see the need to carry anyother shoe.”
Read MoreOn June 19, I met with Konstantin Kosachev, head of Rossotrudnichestvo, in Washington, D.C. Published here (click "read more") is Rossotrudnichestvo's article about the occasion.
Read MoreEvery year, I look forward to attending Youth American Grand Prix dance competition and black-tie gala in New York City. It’s always an opportunity to see some of the most outstanding young dancers from all over the world.
This year was even more special because both the completion and gala were held at Lincoln Center for the first time.
Russian Pointe was a proud sponsor of this year’s YAGP, the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition, which awards over $250,000 annually in scholarships to leading dance schools worldwide.
Read MoreAs a member of the Chicago 2012 NATO Hosting Committee, headed by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel’s wife, Amy Rule, I was proud to be one of the Chicagoans who greeted heads of state who attended the NATO summit.
Read MoreI just returned from an amazing trip where I had the privilege of both traveling with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, on their first visit to Russia since 1990, and promoting Chicago to Russian businesses.
I was part of a delegation of seven people from World Business Chicago and Chicago Sister Cities International who accompanied conductor Riccardo Muti and 180 orchestra members on this historic cultural exchange.
Read MoreOn April 22 and 23, I traveled to the European city of Luxembourg to attend the Global Russia Business Meeting.
At this forum, more than 400 business leaders from around the world gathered to learn more about the economic benefits of partnering with Russian companies. Both Russians and non-Russians in a variety of fields including information technology, bio tech, manufacturing, and more met to discuss ways that they could work together.
Read MoreGrowing Through Arts is expanding again! This time, we are translating all of our storybooks into Russian, so that all of the Russian-speaking children in the United States can enjoy these charming, educational books.
To launch the new versions of the books, we recently had a photo shoot at Russian Pointe Dance Boutique where we invited 14 Eastern European children to play with the books and toys and get dressed up in the matching Growing Through Arts tutus, tights and leotards!
Read MoreFrom May 20 to 21, leaders from around the world will gather in Chicago for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meetings, hosted by President Barack Obama.
This is the first time that an American city other than Washington, D.C., has hosted at NATO summit, and more than 60 countries are sending delegates to discuss topics such as support of Afghanistan, the debt crisis in Europe, intelligence and more.
I am so proud to be one of 70 prominent Chicagoans who has been asked to serve on the committee because of my devoted activism on behalf of the city and my deep commitment to strengthening international ties.
Read MoreOne of my greatest passions is to increase the awareness of Russia’s grand cultural heritage to the world. So it was a tremendous honor to receive an invitation recently to tour the Russian Cultural Center in Washington, DC, which shares a similar vision.
Read MoreI recently returned from the Atlantic Dance Retail Show ― which took place January 29 and 30 in Hunt Valley, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore ― where I had the chance to meet with many of the dancewear retailers who carry both Russian Pointe shoes and Growing Through Arts books and toys.
As I talked with retailers throughout the weekend, I could see how much of a demand there is for the Growing Through Arts products that are designed to educate young dancers about the arts.
Read MoreI was recently honored to be invited by the Russian government to join a delegation of about 50 people from the United States to visit Moscow.
The trip was organized by Rossotrudnichestvo -- The (Russian) Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation -- and its mission was to promote a more positive view of Russia’s economic climate to Americans.
Read MoreRecently, I donated several Growing Through Arts books to a local young woman, Zoryana Yavorski, who was traveling to Nepal to work with children in an orphanage.
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