On 24 December, in the SPbGASU assembly hall, the Department of Intercultural Communication held the traditional New Year's concert "Foreigners' Race For Russia 3," prepared by the international students from the preparatory department.

The concert was opened by the Head of the Department of Intercultural Communication, Elena Selezneva, who welcomed the guests and artists and wished everyone to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere.

Students from China, Iran, Mali, Zambia, Mongolia, Egypt, Algeria, Angola, Cuba, Benin, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Uganda, Chad, Libya, Vietnam, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Libya, Turkey, Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Togo, Guinea, and Pakistan friendly and joyfully wished everyone a Happy New Year. The concert program included vibrant musical performances in Russian and Chinese, energetic dance acts, Russian poetry recitations, and a Chinese New Year culture quiz.

Students from China performed a skit about how to properly celebrate the New Year. A combined group from China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Benin, Uganda, Chad, and Libya, along with their teacher, Professor Elena Safronova of the Department of Intercultural Communication, presented several magical song acts. Students from African countries continued the concert, singing playful ditties about their lives and studies in Russia to loud applause from the audience. Ybenze Ambouko from Mali and Djinku Kossivi Amen from Togo performed a traditional Dogon dance.

Students from China quizzed the audience's knowledge of Chinese New Year traditions and then sang a New Year's song in their native language. Mohammadi Badrabad Amir from Iran recited Sergey Yesenin's poem about the Iranian Khorasan in Russian. Students from Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Turkey, Libya, and Associate Professor at the Department of Intercultural Communication Anastasia Gubaidullina performed an elegant vocal and choreographic act.

The concert ended with a group performance of a New Year's song, which the entire audience sang along to.

This year, the roles of Father Frost, of which there were two, were played by Mohammadi Badrabad Amir and Wang Shuo from China, and the role of the Snow Maiden was debuted by Yang Xinzhe from China.

The student artists not only demonstrated their creative abilities and artistic talent, but also demonstrated their knowledge of the Russian language and culture of our country.

Not only the students but also the members of the Department of Intercultural Communication contributed greatly. In the lead-up to the concert, each classroom rehearsed songs, danced, recited poetry, and created skits. All the teachers prepared their students for the performance.

The concert's scriptwriter and director was Marina Mizgireva, an Assistant at the Department of Intercultural Communication. Thanks to her, the program turned out to be interesting and diverse.

The guests of the magical performance were reluctant to let the artists go and applauded for a long time. After the performance, both the audience and the concert participants took commemorative photos and shared their impressions.

"Today, our entire division attended the concert staged by your teachers. I'd like to express my deepest gratitude; all the acts were simply wonderful. The students were incredibly talented! Thank you for spreading the festive spirit on the eve of the New Year," shared Andrey Kozhokar, International Student Relations Specialist at the SPbGASU International Relations Division.

"I express my deep gratitude for the celebration that the teachers of the Department of Intercultural Communication and the students of the Preparatory Department presented to the audience. On New Year's Eve, you once again demonstrated the results that can be achieved when you truly and devotedly love your work. Thank you for the wonderful atmosphere, positive emotions, and understanding of the caliber of professionals working here," noted Karina Surkova, Head of the Preparatory Department for Foreign Applicants.