From 9 to 12 of November 2015 in Moscow on the stage of the House of Culture "Stimulus" was held the International Folklore Festival "Keeping traditions", the founder and organizer of which is The foundation for cultural development of the nations of Siberia and the Far East "Northern Rainbow".

“The purpose of the festival – to gather together groups from all the regions of Russia and abroad in the Capital of our country, to preserve and to pass the pearl of folklore traditions on to the future generations – has grown up in 2012, when the 1st International Folklore Festival "Northern Rainbow" received huge success, organized by the Foundation in Nyurba in faraway Yakutia." - said the Foundation President Alexandra Borisova.

In 2015, despite of the crisis and the international situation, the President of the Foundation – Mrs. Alexandra Borisova have decided to fulfill the numerous requests from folklore organizations and folklore artists from different countries and republics and to hold the festival "Keeping traditions" in Moscow.

A huge contribution to the birth of the festival has Mrs. Ayuna Bazarsadaeva - opera singer, public figure, chairman of the Organizing Committee of the festival. With the support of the European Association of Folklore Festivals (EAFF), the festival has gained a truly grand scale.

The president of EAFF Mr. Kaloyan Nikolov, not only sent a congratulatory address to participants of the festival, but also established special prizes for the winners - vouchers for participation in the European and the World Championship of Folklore with a nominal value of 500, 300 and 200 euros.

"The scale and the organization of the festival were felt in many ways. Firstly, the presence of participants from different geography regions. Artists from Malaysia, headed by the general manager of the Cultural House - Sabah Datu, Rasmadu Datu Sulay, as well as the folklore talents of St. Petersburg, Vologda, Nizhny Novgorod, Buryatia, Kalmykia and Yakutia came in Moscow. Secondly, the media partner of the festival – Teleset Samostoyatelnogo Tvorchestvo (Телесеть Самостоятельного Творчества ТСТ) - conducted a direct online broadcast of the gala concert, which could be seen by everyone, regardless of where they live, in each corner of the globe. At the closing ceremony of the festival participants were welcomed by the Ambassador of Malaysia in Russia, highly respected Dato' Ismail Hayat. "- said Mrs. Alexandra Borisova.

The festival brought together participants in different genres. Adults’ and children’s folklore groups, students from Universities and professional performers were gathered together. But the mastery of the performers was on the same high level that often impeded the work of the jury. 

Jury includes: Chairman Badma-Handa Ayusheeva - Honored Artist of Buryatia and members – Anait Saribekyan – President of the International Dance Council section of UNESCO (CID) in Vanadzor, Elina Gureva – teacher in the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, Irina Kirilova – designer, Paolina Olzoeva – director of the Ethnic Dance Studio “Ball nomadic cultures”.

The main discovery of the festival was the State Dance Ensemble from the House of Culture Sabah that earned the appreciation of the audience and the jury with bright dance performance “Bounty Hunters” and undoubtedly won the Grand Prix.  “The best vocalist” became Aldar Dushaev from Buryatia. He received “Special money award from Ayuna Bezarsadaeva” personally from the hands of the prize author. Ensemble for folklore Armenian dances from Nizhny Novgorod won the award “The best dance group”.

At the program of the festival were included not only "art workshops" during which performers from teams with experience can tell about their work, but also "Musical Dialogues" - type of master classes, in which the honorary jury members and participants had the opportunity to share valuable experience with novice performers.

Between the conducting of master-classes, the participants had time for relaxation and fun – as dancing Russian "horovod", Yakut "osuohay", Buryat "yohar", Armenian "kertsi", Malay "bamboo". This way the continuity and friendship among the participants from different parts of Russia and the world were preserved.

“In this sense the name of the festival “Keeping traditions” was completely justified. I would like to wish the festival to exist and to flourish many many years! To our participants – I wish even greater skills and further success in preserving of folklore traditions”, Mrs. Alexandra Borisova said in conclusion.