WHAT A DREAM!

Purim is an important Jewish holiday commemorating the saving of the Jewish people of Ancient Persia. It is customary to have a grand celebration with a carnival indulging in food and entertainment. The party took place in the Metropol hotel restaurant, it was an immersive fancy dress ball in the Silver Age style. The whole space from the entrance to the banquet hall was transformed into an immersive performance that transported the guests back to Belle Epoque. At the entrance, the guests were greeted by fancy characters: a footman with a bunch of keys and a few young people dressed in snow-white tailcoats and luminous lampshade-shaped hats. They encouraged the guests to pass through the hall and wished them "sweet dreams and memorable impressions".

The retro-style photo zone, the lounge and the stands of the event partners were located in the space reserved for welcoming guests. They were decorated accordingly, and visually and stylistically integrated into the party atmosphere. The stand of the Russian-Israeli consulting center, which helps in obtaining citizenship, was designed in the style of railway ticket offices of the Modernity era. To present the services of the European medical center, we created an area of "good omens", where an actor dressed as a sage entertained the guests predicting their future with the help of a wheel of fortune, giving them tips and hints taken from the poems of Ossip Mandelstam. Guests were also invited to quench their gambling passion by playing cards decorated with images of Purim's characters.

Three twin dancers dressed in tailcoats with two-meter long ties were giving a gymnastic plastic performance. Theater clowns Tall Brothers dressed as fat men amazed guests by their tricks with food. Performers in surreal outfits and masks designed by the artist Venera Kazarova were strolling among guests offering them a traditional Purim pastry called hamantash or Haman's ears. The hall was filled with melodies of the bygone era, poems by decadent poets, and exclamations like "What a dream!"

The performance that started at the entrance continued on stage, which was built according to the standards of a musical theater, with lighting effects and a curtain that went all the way up to the ceiling. The party was hosted by a famous show creator and presenter Vladimir Markoni. The first one to go on stage was the actor and singer David Vanesyan. Dressed in a tuxedo, with a remote control in his hands, he recapitulated the Purim story, as if narrating his own dream. He literally acted as the orchestra conductor: he turned the sound on and off, paused it or accelerated the tempo, bringing the narrative and the music together in an exciting performance. The Vardanyan brothers — acrobat stars — gave a performance embodying the metaphor of the perseverance of the Jewish people. The party headliners Money first, music band from Odessa, sang traditional Jewish songs and filled the audience with joy and fun so typical of Purim celebration. The Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar and the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia Alexander Boroda gave welcome speeches.