Sports parades in the USSR (photo with comments).
73 years ago, one of the most famous parades in the history of mankind was held in Moscow. On November 7, 1941, soldiers of the Red Army marched in orderly columns past the Kremlin and Stalin on the Mausoleum, who immediately went to the front to defend the approaches to the capital of the USSR. It's no joke, the enemy was 25-30 kilometers from the heart Soviet Union!? This parade was broadcast on live over the radio and infuriated Hitler, who in hysterics ordered the Luftwaffe to bomb Red Square along with the troops that were on parade. Only that day, the Soviet anti-aircraft gunners were put on full alert and did not let a single Goering vulture pass to Red Square. And the “heavenly office” itself was clearly on the side of the defenders of Moscow. Over the sky of the capital was non-flying weather! This parade went down in history as an unprecedented manifestation of the courage of all Soviet people, his unbroken spirit and a manifestation of readiness to fight the aggressors to the end!
In fact, the parades were almost the most great fun Soviet times. Especially during the years of Stalin's rule. They were prepared for a long time, and they were held with incredible splendor in a very solemn atmosphere. Moreover, the parades were very different - military, workers, sports ...
Sports parades were held as part of a huge general parade, mainly on the day of solidarity of all the working people of the world on May 1 (although November 7 happened). Separately, athletes marched on their day, which was celebrated on the second Saturday of August. Here are photos from the parades of athletes from different times. So, we look at the faces of our not so distant ancestors, and with all the fibers of the soul we are imbued with the spirit of that era.
1924 Parade of cyclists on Red Square.
Girls go to Red Square. Obviously all Komsomol members, and, of course, beauties.
And here are the guys, all as one fit, athletic build ...
And revolutionary-patriotic songs are sung in unison, which even pierces a shiver through the body.
1932 Columns of athletes at the entrance to Red Square.
A column of Osoaviakhim passes in orderly rows in front of you ( Society for the Promotion of Defense, Aviation and Chemical Construction).
Such "multi-layered" compositions during parade processions were very popular in the USSR in 1930-1960.
Column "Dynamo".
Stalin was glorified at every demonstration. Such is the manifestation of universal love. Although, try not to show it, they will immediately write it down as "enemies of the people" with all the ensuing consequences.
1935 Young rowers.
1935 Young motorists.
Family cycling.
1936 Pioneers show how they lead a healthy lifestyle on vacation - they brush their teeth in the morning, wash their faces with cold water, sunbathe in the sun ... Thanks to Comrade Stalin for our happy childhood!
1936 Live TRP badge - ready for work and defense.
1936 Column sports society "Zenith".
1936 Snipers.
No need to be surprised. Hitler's dream of having his troops march on Red Square in Moscow remained a pipe dream. These are cyclist warriors of the Red Army demonstrating their skills together with their four-legged friends. After all, no one will argue that the dog best friend human? Or do former Soviet citizens still think that the house committee is man's best friend?
But even those who are not yet called upon to defend the borders of their homeland demonstrated their readiness to immediately join the ranks of the Red Army.
Parades of athletes often took place not only in the main squares of cities, but also in stadiums, as on the Day of Athletes. Look at the determined faces of these guys. What power and purposefulness is read in their views! These guys are ready even now to defend their homeland, both in the boxing ring and on the battlefield.
Yes, and such compositions were popular during the demonstrations of athletes. Here is the organizer of this one, which is in the photo, clearly deserved a promotion, or, according to at least, encouragement from superiors.
In sports processions, football players were repeatedly received, as here is the Spartak team of Moscow in the photo.
By the way, this is how historic victory Moscow "Spartak" in 1937 over the Baskonia national team, which was touring the USSR. By the way, a victory with a clear bad smell. Read more about this event in an article in my blog “1937. Basques in the USSR.
1937 Building such tall pyramids from people was also popular in the USSR in 1930-1960.
Long live our dear Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin! The portrait of the leader of all times and peoples was immutable attribute on all, without exception, demonstrations of any level.
Of course, athletes demonstrated to the whole world what first-class weapons are in our country. After all, caring for sports under Stalin was equal to caring for the country's defense capability.
On Red Square, the owners of the TRP badge demonstrate their grace.
And this is already marching the future of the country of the Soviets. Future mothers, and behind them the fathers of a healthy younger generation.
Just look at these guys! Neither stand up nor sit down - heroes from ancient Russian epics!
Each republic passed by a separate column. As in the photo of the Uzbek SSR.
But these are already Ukrainians.
Athletes after the parade.
In Stalin's times, parades of athletes were only welcomed and promoted in every possible way. Like on stamps.
But even after Stalin's death, parades of athletes were not uncommon.
And not only in Moscow, but also in Leningrad. He himself participated in similar parades several times in his native Otradokamenka, while he was little. And there were marches of rural athletes on May 1. When it was already warm.
And as always at such a parade, what is written on the poster in this photo was emphasized. Yes, you can't get away from it. The USSR was a militarized country. Almost all production is geared towards the defense industry. And mass sports are no exception.
Albums of old photos
Children's diary pages
Fragments of destinies, biographies
Where is friendship, hate, love...
It is possible that tomorrow someone
Over them deliberately yawns:
"Pretty nice little retro,
Pretty nice retro…”
And this was…. year.
Let time, experienced biographer
Turns legends into reality
Passion silent cinema
Decrees telegraph style…
And the solar winds rush
Resurrect from the ashes of the fallen
Don't dare buzzword retro
Everything we lived to call!
(Words by Naum Olev, song to music by Maxim Dunaevsky from the film "Green Van" performed by Dmitry Kharatyan).
Kostenko Alexander Alexandrovich
Parades of athletes were very popular among Soviet citizens. And this is not surprising: only a military parade could be compared with such a powerful, spectacular and massive event. However, if the goals of holding the latter, as they say, lie on the surface, then why the parade of athletes was needed is not entirely clear.
History of sports parades
The very first physical culture parade, which was also attended by Lenin himself, took place on May 25, 1919 on the Red Square of the capital. The participants in the parade were predominantly Vseobuch detachments, that is, those who had passed the mandatory military training. Since 1918, all workers from 18 to 40 years old were required to undergo such training.
It is worth noting that until 1939, when the day of the athlete appeared, such parades were held irregularly and most often timed to coincide with other major events and dates. For example, in 1928 it was a sports and athletics meeting dedicated to the adoption of the first five-year development plan National economy, and in 1937 the occasion was the anniversary of the revolution and the creation of the Constitution of the USSR.
Despite some randomness of physical culture events, every year the number of their participants grew steadily: in 1924 - 18 thousand people, in 1928 - 30 thousand, in 1931 - 40 thousand, in 1932 - 70 thousand, in 1933 - 80 thousand.
The best directors, screenwriters, artists, composers were involved in the organization of parades. This is how the well-known choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater Moiseev staged the performances of many participants in physical culture processions, and the theater artist Fedorovsky drew sketches of costumes.
Since 1945, which was marked by the victory Soviet army over the fascist invaders, the parades of athletes acquired a special scope and entertainment. However, after 9 years, the last physical culture procession took place.
If you want to be healthy, temper yourself!
One of the main goals of the sports parades was, first of all, to promote a healthy lifestyle. The taut, slender figures of the procession participants, the strength and dexterity of their movements were supposed to delight the audience and, of course, give rise to the desire to become the same.
In general, sports and physical education in particular at that time received tremendous attention. Images of columns of participants in physical culture parades were printed on postage stamps, tear-off calendars, propaganda posters.
In addition, immediately after the end of the Great Patriotic War, faculties were opened in many universities physical education. Physical education lessons appeared in educational institutions, as well as sport sections. In 1923, the first all-Union physical culture and sports society "Dynamo" was organized, in 1935 - "Spartak".
In 1931, the project of the TRP complex (“Ready for Labor and Defense”) was approved. Since then, physical education has become a compulsory activity for many Soviet people. Despite this, the TRP has become a very popular complex, especially among young people, and the badge is a coveted award. It was the owners of such awards who often became participants in sports parades.
Mighty Reserve
However, the main reason for promoting a healthy lifestyle in general and holding processions of athletes in particular was to increase the country's defense capability. This is evidenced by the campaign slogans that the participants of the parade carried in front of the audience (“Athletes are a mighty reserve of the Red Army and the Navy!”), And the theme of such events (“We are preparing future heroes”).
By the way, at that time all spheres of life and activity of Soviet citizens were subject to possible military actions. Everyone knows that many factories in the USSR that produce consumer goods were arranged in such a way that they could in the blink of an eye be retrained for the production of weapons or military equipment. The same applied to sports. So the happy owners of TRP badges received a large number of awards during the war. Some associate this fact with excellent physical fitness.
Physical culture parades became a demonstration of the strength of ordinary Soviet citizens. After all, everyone knows that the solemn procession of 1941, the participants of which immediately after the event went to the front, infuriated Hitler himself. It was to raise the spirits of the inhabitants of the USSR, and at the same time to intimidate the enemy, that parades of athletes were held.
At the turn of the 1920-1930s. in the USSR, a grandiose agitation and propaganda work was launched in the field physical culture. Almost immediately, those means and methods of propaganda were introduced that were used throughout the history of the existence of the USSR: visual (parades, processions, photo exhibitions, art) and oral (lectures, conversations, concerts) propaganda, radio and cinema, sports press, etc. One of the most powerful tools in terms of its influence on the masses was such forms of visual agitation as parades and sports festivals, which became a showcase for Soviet sports. They symbolized the widespread development of sports and physical culture on the territory of the Soviet Union and were a mixture of some kind of sports and theatrical production. Parade of the Vsevobuchists on May 25, 1919, which was hosted by V.I. Lenin, became the first physical culture parade in Soviet history.
Second half of the 30s. was marked by a whole series of grandiose parades and sports performances. . Participated in the parade 45 thousand sportsmen from 11 republics. A day later, Krasny Sport wrote: “On this day, youth, strength, dexterity and joy owned Red Square”. At the end of July 1938, another parade of 35,000 athletes took place in Moscow. Director N. Okhlopkov wrote in Izvestia: “These folk sports holidays are not only a review of the annual physical culture work. This is a true folk spectacle. This is a new type of art, monumental, grandiose, in which theater, ballet, opera, painting, sculpture, music, song are synthetically connected, obeying the action of physical culture..
Preparations for the All-Union Parade of 1939 began in January: a special brochure was published with instructions on drill participants, and an extensive information campaign was carried out in the central press. Celebrations were to be held not only on Red Square, but also in other parts of Moscow. In the VDNH area, in the recreation area of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, a temporary sports town with stands for 60,000 seats was built.
These events attracted the attention huge amount spectators, among whom there were usually also foreign guests who, for one reason or another, were in the USSR. So, the American ambassador in Moscow, J. Davis, watching July 12, 1937 parade of athletes on Red Square, left interesting description your impressions.
The parade was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was attended 45 thousand"the best athletes of the country - members of voluntary sports societies and athletes of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army." On the podium of the Mausoleum were present "the best friend of Soviet athletes" I.V. Stalin and the entire leadership of the country.
Ambassador J. Davis was completely fascinated by this new action for him. Standing on the diplomatic platform of Red Square, he could very well see all the details of the parade. Without hiding his admiration for what he saw, he calls the young athletes participating in the parade "flaming youth". (Adjective flaming in English language has several different meanings - 1) bright; sparkling, shining; 2) fiery, ardent; 3) amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing).
“It was a radiant, sunny day. Both sides of Red Square and the facade opposite (the GUM building) were richly decorated with banners, red fabric for flags and various large emblems with sports medals, praises to Stalin, etc.
In the parade groups and among the participants in the performances there were almost as many girls as there were boys - "flamingyouth". And what a beautiful youth! All bare-headed, swarthy from sunburn, most only in white shorts and colored T-shirts. The athletes of each column were dressed in a special color uniform.<...>It was a magnificent sight. In addition, there were thousands more soldiers, tanned, with clean-shaven heads, in blue shorts and athletic white shoes.<.>AT separate parts During the parade, a variety of club activities were demonstrated. The skiers were passing by in companies - at least one and a half thousand people in a group. They apparently had bearings under their skis to glide across the pavement.
In some columns there were crossbars on which gymnastic exercises were performed; acrobats did somersaults at a height of two human heights. Others rolled past the stands on skates or boards. Forty or fifty boys and girls took part in one of the performances, showing their skills on gymnastic equipment, while moving further along the square.
All in all, it was one of the most beautiful and most remarkable performances I have ever seen. Of course, it was a magnificent day, and the amazing beauty of young people with perfect bodies and a healthy appearance did their job, turning the whole spectacle into something in the highest degree unusual".
Impressions of the sports parade on Red Square who visited the USSR a year earlier French writer André Gide surprisingly coincides with Ambassador Davies' impressions. “I attended a youth festival in Moscow on Red Square ... Everything was arranged magnificently ... and even with excellent taste. Young people who arrived from the north and south participated in the parade on Red Square. It went on for several hours. I did not imagine such a magnificent sight. Of course, its wonderful participants were pre-selected, prepared and trained. But how not to admire the country and the regime that is capable of creating such youth.”
An example of serious preparation for parades can be the conduct regulations. Those responsible for holding an important event were approved: the parade commander - Kuznetsov; parade commissar - Efremov; main artist para-da - Cybardin; chief director of demonstration performances - Okhlopkov; the conductor of the combined orchestra is the honored worker of arts brigade commander Chernetsky.
During the preparation, a special procedure for the passage of columns was developed. 35,000 people took part in the solemn march of the parade. The head column, thematically defined "Our first deputy is Stalin!", consisted of 450 people(column commander I.N. Rumyantsev, column commissar - B.P. Shamshin, artist - G. Kibardin). The consolidated column of athletes from the Union republics included 2380 people(column commander - Popov, column commissar - Glorious).
Schoolchildren of Moscow were the first to present themselves in sports demonstration performances. The theme is “Soviet children have a healthy, joyful childhood” (headed by Shteinberg). Total participated 250 people.
Team performance Kirghiz SSR subject matter "Soviet mountaineering"(leader of the performance - Ushakov). Participated 200 people.
Performance Kazakh SSR subject matter "Revival of the people"(leader of the performance - Kiselyov). Participated 200 people.
Performance Tajik SSR subject matter "Stalin is our banner"(leader of the speech - Yergin). Participated 200 people.
Performance Uzbek SSR subject matter "Sunny Uzbekistan"(leader of the performance - Kombarov). Participated 200 people.
The performance of the Turkmen SSR was determined by the theme "Happy Turkmenistan"(leader of the performance - Osipov). 180 people participated.
Performance Armenian SSR subject matter "Flowering Armenia"(Leader of the speech - Mingayan). Participated 200 people.
Performance Georgian SSR subject matter "Georgia is the birthplace of Stalin"(leader of the performance - Javrishvili). Participated 300 people.
Performance Azerbaijan SSR subject matter "Oil-bearing Azerbaijan"(leader of the performance - Mavromati). Participated 200 people.
Performance Byelorussian SSR subject matter "We do not want war, but we are ready for battle"(leader of the performance - Goleizovsky). Participated 300 people.
Performance Ukrainian SSR subject matter "West Defense Outpost"(Leader of the speech - Lane and Sabenko). Participated 400 people.
Performance Moscow Regional College of Physical Education was determined by the theme "Ordenoyed Komsomol" (leader of the speech - Emil May).
The script included the following episodes:
1. "Civil War";
2. "Restoration of the national economy";
3. "Construction of the subway";
4. "Physical youth". Sport exercises. Dance of girls with scarves. Sports and acrobatic dance of men. Parterre gymnastics. Acrobatics.
Participated 350 people.
Performance State Order Lenin Institute of Physical Culture named after P.F. Lesgaft(Leningrad) was determined by the theme "Navy" (head of the speech - Orlov).
The script included:
1. You-move with a song.
2. Construction of a portrait of Stalin.
Also the following episodes:
1. Painting "Sea". Dance of women with scarves.
2. The painting "Life on the ship." Charger. Exercises on horizontal bars. Exercises of women with maces. Signaling - "Hello Comrade Stalin." Lifebuoy exercises. Rifle exercises. Krasnoflotskaya dance.
Participated 700 people.
Performance State Central Order of Lenin Institute of Physical Culture named after Stalin was determined by the theme “If there is war tomorrow” (the leader of the speech is Moiseev).
The script included:
1. The construction of a large gymnastic pyramid, turning into a "live" acrobatic bridge, along which the troops pass.
2. Paramilitary exercises on motorcycles.
3. Fencing.
4. Floor exercises for male and female groups.
5. The final pyramid.
700 people participated.
Truly grandiose theatrical sports processions that took place on Red Square were not only bright and spectacular performances. They became major events in the political and cultural life of the country. Famous directors and ballet masters V. Meyerhold, S. Radlov, K. Goleizovsky, I. Moiseev were involved in staging the parades. In connection with this, the memoirs of I. Moiseev are very interesting.
Already quite famous by the mid-30s. dancer and choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater I. Moiseev received a completely unexpected offer. In 1936, athletes Malakhov Physical Education College named after Antipova asked him to put on a performance for them for a sports parade on Red Square.
Moiseev recalls that he “saw parades on Red Square many times, and I was always struck by how boring they were. Athletes walked out into the square with a slow ceremonial step, slowly began to do exercises<...>I was surprised at the patience of those who watched these parades to the end.
The Malakhovites were very upset that they were given only 15 minutes, but Moiseev decided to turn the short duration of the performance in favor of the athletes and compete with the institutions primarily due to dynamics. The speech lasted only seven minutes. At the pace of a hundred meters, its participants ran out to the square, lined up in a matter of seconds and did exercises at the same pace. The performance was a huge success, and the technical school was even awarded.
In 1937, proposals to stage a number for the parade came to the choreographer from many republics, he chose from all the applicants Belarusian Republican Technical School. Every week he traveled to Minsk for two days to prepare the performance "The Border at the Lock", which he conceived in a theatrical form unconventional for a parade. Red Square turned into a birch grove, tanks came out of it, soldiers ran out. The performers took to the square with small birch trees, brought in advance from the Moscow region, which created the illusion of Belarus. The performance turned out to be quite successful and after the parade the technical school was renamed into an institute, the performers were awarded orders. The work of the choreographer was left without a reward, which, of course, was very disappointing and discouraged any desire to do this in the future.
On the eve of the 1938 sports parade, Alexander Kosarev, secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, called Moiseev and asked him to urgently come to him. The speech again turned to the participation of the choreographer in staging the number for the parade. Noticing that the choreographer showed no desire to participate in the parade, Kosarev warned his protests: “The fact is that Comrade Stalin asked why the Stalin Institute of Physical Education has not received awards for its performances for the third year already. He was told that the first place was awarded to Belarusians. Iosif Vissarionovich also liked this performance, and he asked who prepared it. When your name was called, Comrade Stalin said: "Let him do it." That's why we asked you to come.".
The result of this conversation with Kosarev was the staging of the number "If there is war tomorrow." Athletes with shields in their hands ran out onto the square and placed these shields on their shoulders. Other gymnasts climbed on them and also formed a platform with the help of shields, on which third ones climbed. As a result, five three-story pyramids were formed, each of which was crowned by one gymnast who took the starting position of any sport: a swimmer before jumping into the water, a discus thrower before throwing a disc... When the pyramids lined up, a poster appeared in front of them for a few seconds with the inscription "If there is war tomorrow", covering the top gymnasts. After the poster was lowered, in place of the athletes ready to start the competition, there were military men different kinds troops. Following this, the pyramids instantly collapsed and instead of five high towers spectators saw a huge length of the bridge stretching from Historical Museum to the Spasskaya Tower. This bridge consisted of shields mounted on the shoulders of the gymnasts. Motorcycles rushed across the shields, and after them, battle scenes began in the same space. Students of the Institute. Stalin performed this number so successfully that the institute received for it the first place so coveted by Stalin.
In conclusion, we can say that the study of the history of Soviet sports is to a sufficient extent promising direction in the field of historical science. Analysis public policy in this area during the indicated period allows you to better understand not only the history of the physical culture movement, but also the socio-political processes that took place in Soviet Russia. Methodological basis presented research is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity and system scientific analysis. The work has been prepared on the basis of the complex application of general scientific research methods (descriptive, historicism, synthesis and analysis), special historical methods (retrospective, comparative historical, problem chronological). Listed Methods were used in combination, which made it possible to provide an integrated approach to the study.
; - approx. ed.)
9. Moiseev I.A. I remember… A life-long tour / I.A. Moiseev. - M., 1996. - 224 p.
10. Ibid., p.35.
11. Ibid., p.37.
Related materials
- (One of the first color experimental films in the USSR)
- (A documentary film about the grandiose, hours-long parade of athletes (I All-Union parade of athletes) on Red Square in Moscow on July 12, 1937)
We invite you to take a look at a selection of photographs of metropolitan life in the 30s of the last century, Stalinist repressions, but at the same time an unprecedented rapid growth in production and industrialization of the entire country, which subsequently allowed the USSR to use this potential to win the Great Patriotic War. In terms of total gross domestic product and industrial output, the USSR in the mid-1930s came first in Europe and second in the world, second only to the United States.
In addition, you will see the film "Mission to Moscow". This is a chronicle of impressions about the Soviet Union american ambassador Davis, his meetings with Stalin, and his common point perspective on relations between the Soviet Union and the United States.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Moscow became a place of acute political struggle, as a result of which Stalin came to sole power. Plants and factories, new residential buildings for workers were built in the city. In the 1920s, houses, microdistricts, entire villages were built, but housing was still not enough, since the population of the city grew faster than new buildings. There was such a phenomenon as "compression", when two or three, and sometimes more, were moved into apartments designed for one family.
Below for you is a very large selection of old photos of those times, some text and a movie
On February 26, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars, headed by Lenin, adopted a resolution on the relocation of the government to Moscow. On March 11, after a two-hundred-year break, the status of the capital was again returned to Moscow, and already in this capacity Moscow experienced turbulent events: the assassination of the German ambassador Mirbach on July 6, 1918, the suppression of the Left Social Revolutionaries, the attempt on Lenin, the work of the Moscow Cheka, mobilization to the fronts of the civil war, the first communist subbotniks, etc. On January 21, 1924, Lenin died. A temporary wooden mausoleum was built on Red Square, which was later replaced by a permanent one - made of granite and marble.
The city needed a makeover transport system. An innovation in Moscow was to be a trolleybus. An innovation in Moscow was to be a trolleybus. But, of course, the most best solution the transport problem could be the construction of the subway. The construction of the subway was declared a shock construction site. By the end of January 1935, the main work was completed, and on May 15 regular traffic was opened. From Sverdlov Square (now theatre square) trains left for Sokolniki, Smolenskaya and Krymskaya squares.
World and civil war led to devastation in the country and in Moscow. The difficult industrial and food situation was exacerbated by the isolation of the city from raw areas countries. 214 textile enterprises, the entire food industry were inactive. The tram depot has almost completely stopped working. Many residential buildings fell into disrepair. But since 1922, the economy began to gradually improve: a power station was launched in Kashira; Tryokhgornaya manufactory, Danilovskaya and Izmailovskaya textile factories were gaining momentum.
A tram went to Ostankino, Petrovsko-Razumovskoye along the newly built lines. By 1926, the living area was brought almost to the pre-war level, squares, gardens and parks were restored. By the end of the 20s, radio broadcasting became the property of Muscovites. In 1939, the Moscow television center. Moscow was actively changing its appearance: Gorky Street (Tverskaya), Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya ( Leninsky Prospekt), Pervaya Meshchanskaya (Prospect Mira). A significant phenomenon was the construction of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition in 1939 (then VDNKh, and now the All-Russian Exhibition Center- VVC).
In 1935 it was approved general plan reconstruction of Moscow. The plan provided for the growth of the territory of Moscow by half and the complete redevelopment of the Kremlin, Kitay-gorod, White and Zemlyanoy city, which meant the virtual disappearance historical appearance Moscow.
In the roar of construction and demolitions, the old Okhotny Ryad in 1935 was already beginning to take on its new shape:
Arrival of the participants of the international congress of soil scientists in Moscow. Russia, 1930
Opening of the international congress of soil scientists. In the background is a portrait of Lenin on the wall. Russia, 1930.
Members of the International Congress of Soil Scientists visiting the Moscow Kremlin. Russia, 1930.
A group of people during the 14th anniversary of the revolution on Red Square in Moscow on November 7, 1931.
The streets of Moscow are being built at a hasty pace. Moscow, 1931
The Kremlin (with a flag), and in the foreground the Lenin Mausoleum. Moscow, Russia, 1932.
A beggar in rags on a street in Moscow, 1932
Two men on the roof overlooking the center of Moscow and the Kremlin. 1932.
Boarding the tram. 1932
Women with children somewhere in the poor areas of Moscow. 1932
A man with a briefcase sits on a chair against the background of an artificial romantic landscape waiting for a shot from a street photographer. Moscow, 1932. 
Workers visit one of the many museums in Moscow.1932
Bolsheviks and the Church. 1932
View of pedestrians, cars, buses and trams on Sverdlov Square (formerly Teatralnaya Square) in Moscow. Photo taken from the top of the Bolshoi Theater 1932 
This photograph was taken during a large parade on Red Square in Moscow, 1932.
Market in Moscow. Russia, 1933.
Top view of the May Day parade on Red Square. Moscow, USSR, 1933
Parts of the Russian army lined up on Red Square during the May Day parade. Moscow, USSR, 1933
Moscow during the celebration of the October Revolution, 1933.
Tanks on Red Square in Moscow during the celebration of the October Revolution of 1917. Russia, 1933.
An impressive parade on Red Square in Moscow in honor of the 17th anniversary of the October Revolution. Russia, 1933.
A large parade on Red Square in Moscow during the celebration of the October Revolution of 1917. Russia, 1933.
The final part of the parade on Red Square in Moscow on the occasion of the 17th anniversary of the October Revolution was a parade of armored vehicles. Russia, 1933. 
Hair extensions and wigs for sale. Moscow, 1933.
Professor Schmidt is the leader of the Arctic expedition on the icebreaker "Sibiryakov". At the North Station (?) in Moscow, he gives interviews to journalists. 1933 
Red Square with a Soviet policeman, a traffic controller. Moscow, 1935
Metro tunnel in Moscow. 1935.
Panorama Okhotny Ryad: metro station in the center of Moscow. On the left, a building under construction and a mountain of rubble in the foreground. Moscow, 1935.
Panorama of Okhotny Ryad: metro station in the center of Moscow, the square is filled with horses and carts. Moscow, 1935.
Semicircular subway platform and tunnel. Moscow, Russia 1935
Underground metro stations. Moscow, 1935.
A game of chess between Salomon Flor and Vyacheslav Vasilieviches Rogozhin (right) during a chess tournament in Moscow, 1936 
Chess player Jose Raul Capablanca in a match against Ryumin at a chess tournament in Moscow in 1936.
Representatives of various ethnic minorities in the "new" Soviet parliament. Moscow, 1938
View of the Red Square, where the sports parade takes place. Moscow, Russia, 1938
The queue for the bus.
Luzhniki in winter.
View of the Moscow River, the Kremlin and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior from the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge.
View of the Kremlin from the Kremlin.
Homeless children of Moscow.
Autumn in Moscow.
View of the Kremlin from the platform from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
View of the Kremlin and the corner Beklemishevskaya tower.
Kutafya tower.
Cathedral of the Savior on Bor.
Proletarian orchestra on Red Square.
Mausoleum.
Repair of the Kremlin wall.
Book collapse near the Kremlin walls.
Sukharev tower.
Passion Square.
Tverskaya Square.
Tverskaya Zastava and overpass.
Triumph Square.
Nikolskaya street.
Moscow Market.
Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Tverskaya street near Kamergersky lane.
Kropotkinskaya embankment.
The Dorogomilovsky Bridge is still under construction, today it is called the Borodino Bridge.
The old Moskvoretsky bridge with sharp ice axes on supports.
Flooding in Moscow.
Fishing in the Moscow River.
Preparation of ice for glaciers.
Laundry in the Moscow River.
Workers preparing asphalt near the Metropol.
Cafe, 1930s
Bolshoi Theatre, 1934
Ice skating rink in Gorky Park. 1938
Flower girl. Late 30s
Youth, Gorky Park, 1939
Spartacus. 1938 Physical culture parade
Moscow, 1930s
1937. Passion Monastery
20 years of revolution. Big theater. 1937
fruit water. 1938
Busy traffic in Moscow. 1930s
The ship "Joseph Stalin" first came to Moscow through the newly opened Moscow-Volga Canal in May 1937
Petrovka street, 1937 
But these photos, unlike the top ones, have not yet been blurred. The anonymous foreigners made several shots of winter Moscow in 1930-1931.
From there
Performance of the Moscow Chamber Theater
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1 Vilshanka village. Kyiv region. Lunch during the harvest. 1936
2 Comradely trial of a simulator in an agricultural artel " Yasnaya Polyana", Kyiv region. 1935
3 Dekulakization of peasants, Donetsk region, With. Lucky, 1930s.
4 Members of a society for the joint cultivation of the land transport the pantry of a dispossessed peasant to a common pantry, Donetsk region, 1930s.
5 Tractor drivers. Uzbekistan, 1930s. Photography by Max Penson.
6 Uzbekistan. Construction of the Great Ferghana Canal. Photographer M. Alpert. 1939
7 Mobile edition and printing house of the Kolkhoznik newspaper. 1930
8 Collective farm meeting in the field. 1929
9 Collecting frozen potatoes, Donetsk region. 1930
10 Work with an orchestra on the construction of the White Sea Canal. Photography - "Working with the Orchestra", Alexander Rodchenko. 1933
11 The eagles taken from the Kremlin are on display in the park. Gorky for review. 1935
12th All-Union parade of athletes on Red Square. 19637
13 Living pyramid. Photo by Alexander Rodchenko., 1936.
14 TRP - Ready for work and defense. Photo by Alexander Rodchenko. 1936
15 Photo by I. Shagin. 1936
16 Demonstration for collectivization. 1930s.
17 Medical Board. 1935
18 The first nursery in the village. “We will let mother go to the garden and go to the playground.” Photograph by Arkadii Shaikhet, The First Village Creche. 1928
19 Demonstration, Moscow, Krasnaya Presnya. 1928
20 Flooding in Moscow, Bersenevskaya embankment. 1927
21 Flooding in Leningrad. A flood-destroyed wooden pavement on Nevsky Prospekt. 1924
22 A barque thrown onto the embankment during a flood in Leningrad. 1924
23 Pioneers of Leningrad raised on alarm. 1937
24 Revolution Square, Moscow. Photo by A. Shaikhet
25 Lubyanka Square, 1930s Moscow.
26 Trade tent "Makhorka". All-Union Agricultural Exhibition. Photo by B. Ignatovich. 1939
27 Line for kerosene and gasoline. 1930s
28 The funeral of V. V. Mayakovsky. 1930
29 Bells removed from churches, Zaporozhye. 1930s
30 The first cars of the USSR. The AMO-3 truck is the first Soviet car to roll off the assembly line. 1931
31 Moscow, Zubovsky Boulevard, 1930−1935 ORUD - a structure in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (Department for the regulation of traffic). In 1967, ORUD and GAI were merged into one structure.
33 The queue to the Mausoleum. Around 1935
Bonus: Moscow in the 20-30s of the last century, captured in color photos by Branson DeCou (Branson DeCou)
"Mission to Moscow" (film)
Year of issue: 1943
Genre: Drama, War, History
Duration: 02:02:57
Released: Warner Brothers Pictures - USA
Translation: Amateur monophonic
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Walter Huston, Ann Harding, Oscar Homulka, George Tobias, Jean Lockhart, Eleanor Parker, Richard Travis, Helmut Dantin, Victor Frangen, Henry Daniell, Barbara Everest, Dudley Field Malone, Roman Bonen, Maria Palmer, Moroni Olsen, Minor Watson, Vladimir Sokoloff, Maurice Schwartz
Description: In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appoints Joseph E. Davis, a prosperous lawyer, as US Ambassador to the Soviet Union. Davis' mission is to determine whether an alliance with the Soviet people would be effective in the event of a war with Nazi Germany. Ambassador Davis is amazed by what he saw during his stay in Russia. The Soviets have a serious army and are eager to ally with friendly nations like America and others. European countries to defeat Hitler and build a peaceful future for all mankind. Yes, this is exactly the kind of Stalin - this is the person with whom we need to do business ... "Mission to Moscow" is a chronicle of the impressions of the Soviet Union by the American Ambassador Davis, his meetings with Stalin, and his general point of view on the relations of the Soviet Union and the United States. The film is shot in a semi-documentary style. The film describes Davis' view of various events in the history of the Soviet Union. The picture begins with an introduction by the real Ambassador Davis: "No country's leaders were so misrepresented and misunderstood as the Soviet government during those critical years between the two world wars."
TOPIC: FORMATION OF SPORTS DIRECTION IN THE USSR.
Question 1. Physical culture parades on the square
The formation of sports directing began with sports parades on the square.
On May 25, 1919, on the anniversary of Vsevobuch, at the initiative of the Government in Moscow, a military sports festival was held for the first time on Red Square. The fighters of Vsevobuch marched across the square with weapons, and some of them, together with athletes from sports organizations, showed mass gymnastic exercises in motion for the first time.
This historical holiday, which was highly appreciated by the Government, laid the foundation for the Sports Parades - one of the forms of mass sports spectacles, which for many years became the leading one in the country.
From 1924 until the 1980s, Physical Culture parades were held annually. Red Square has always been their main arena. However, since the mid-1950s, the Physical Culture parades have been losing their independence, turning into the head column of a demonstration of workers on the days of May 1 and November 7.
The head column of the demonstration differs in its scale and significance from the classic Sports Parade. Its task becomes narrower and more specific - to set the main theme and tone for the folk festival. Using the accumulated experience in the use of expressive means of the Physical Culture Parades, the director successfully solved the task assigned to her. Over the years, the head column of athletes that opened the demonstrations of workers looked new, but always interesting, colorful, thematic and emotional.
Sports parades were especially popular in the 1930s. It was caused rapid development physical culture and sports, the great enthusiasm and interest of young people in this new form of self-expression and communication, which contributes to the manifestation of free creativity of the masses, the team and the individual at the same time. These years were very fruitful for directing. The huge mass character and diversity of the contingent of participants, the breadth of topics, the emergence of new expressive means created favorable conditions for a creative upsurge. It is no coincidence that the Sports Parades of that time aroused increased interest among both specialists in the field of sports and figures from various fields of culture and art.
In 1931, 40 thousand people took part in the Sports Parade, in 1932 - 70 thousand, in 1933 - 80 thousand, in 1934 and 1935. - 120 thousand each, in 1936 - 110 thousand, in 1937 - 40 thousand, in 1938-1940. the number of participants did not exceed 40 thousand people.
“If the organized masses march to the music, sing in chorus, perform some kind of gymnastic maneuvers or dances, in a word, arrange a kind of parade, but the parade is not military, but, if possible, saturated with such content that would express the ideological essence, hopes, curses and all sorts of emotions of the people, then those other, unorganized masses, surrounding from all sides the streets and squares where the holiday takes place, merge with this organized mass and, thus, we can say: the whole people demonstrates its soul before itself" (see. AV Lunacharsky About mass festivals, stage, circus.- M.: Art, 1981, p. 84).
The sports parades of the 1930s, which were expected and prepared for, in which not only the youth of the capital, but the whole country actively participated, were just such a popular celebration.
A characteristic feature of the sports parades of the first years was that they were held only in motion. Stops on the square were not allowed. This requirement, of course, left its mark on the content of the actions of the parade participants, on the organization and direction of individual columns and the entire parade as a whole. Under these conditions, the director was significantly limited in the choice of means and, naturally, the organizational skills of the leader of the column had greater value than his creative and staging abilities. The main tasks of the director actually boiled down to working out the front step and alignment when passing the column, as well as the search for original paraphernalia so that the viewer could accurately determine the belonging of the column to a particular team.
With the accumulation of expressive means and experience in conducting sports parades, the role of the director as a director gradually increased. Physical culture parades began to have a thematic character. Each column that participated in the parade had to choose and reveal a specific topic. It was not easy to do this, since the director had literally a few minutes to implement his idea. The transience of movement also determined the choice of expressive means. Great importance for the disclosure of the chosen topic during this period is acquired by: the form of building a column; an object for performing exercises in motion; the originality of the mass exercises themselves; various constructions that contribute to the disclosure of the topic; gymnastic equipment mounted on vehicles; "living" pyramids, etc. Special Role was assigned to the decoration of the column and the costumes of the participants (Fig. 1-5.).
The music of the Sports Parades at that time was common to all. They were mostly marches main task which was to ensure a clear passage of the columns across the square without any disturbance to the general flow of traffic. Therefore, of particular importance for the disclosure of topics and the implementation of mass exercises in motion musical accompaniment did not have, but served only as a background.
In 1933, for the first time, mass gymnastic performances were introduced into the Sports Parade. Only two delegations participated in this parade: a consolidated column of athletes from the largest enterprises in Moscow (director - A. Lazarev) and a column of students from the State Central Institute of Physical Culture and Sports (director - M. Okunev).
In subsequent years, the inclusion of mass gymnastic performances in the Sports Parades has become a tradition. In this regard, the composition of the parade has changed. In it, styles distinguish two parts: the first is the Physical Culture Parade itself with the same tasks in principle that the parades faced before, and the second is mass gymnastic performances. In this second part, each delegation for several minutes, accompanied by specially selected or written music, demonstrated the composition of mass gymnastic exercises using means of expression sports. But she did this no longer in motion, but on the spot, sometimes occupying the entire Red Square with her mass.
Thus, the 1933 parade gave birth to another form of sports spectacle - mass gymnastic exercises, which later, especially with access to the stadium, received a very wide development and turned into an independent genre of spectacular art.
The sports parade of 1933 set new tasks for the director. An active search for expressive means began. New types of mass exercises appeared (flow, pyramidal), as well as transforming objects, which, in the process of performing exercises by a large number of participants, suddenly changed color, shape for the audience, and along with this, their original meaning and functions. For example, a simple gymnastic club instantly turned into a drop-down box of cotton or a sunflower head, a pole became a giant golden ear, an oar with colored blades or a flag, etc. In addition, the compositions of mass gymnastic performances began to differ in colorful constructions and rearrangements.
A significant impetus in the development of the genre of mass sports and artistic performances was given by the Sports Parade of 1937. It was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of October and brought together delegations from all the Union Republics of the country (150-200 people from each Republic). So, starting from 1937, Physical culture parades in Moscow became All-Union.
The political significance of physical culture parades is increasing. Each of them was dedicated to some important event in the life of the country and, therefore, had a specific theme. So, in 1937 the parade was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of October; in 1938 - elections to the Supreme Soviet; in 1939 - the XVII Congress of the CPSU (b); in 1940 - the implementation of the decisions of the XVII Congress.
Participation in the Physical Culture Parades of the delegations of the Union Republics radically changed the content mass protests their second part. Along with mass gymnastic exercises, art was presented for the first time. At first special success in All-Union parades im-k0lchoreography. The best professional choreographic groups of the Republics came to Moscow, which, together with sports delegations, showed their high skills. Thus, for the first time, directing faced the question of the possibility of synthesising sports and art, which later became one of the main distinguishing features mass sports and art performances at the stadium.
These features of the All-Union parades led to a significant increase in the role of the director as director. The figurativeness of the solution of the theme, the completeness of the composition, originality in the selection of expressive means of sports and art, a serious, thoughtful approach to musical and artistic design distinguished the productions of the leading directors of that time.
During this period, the role of artists in the development and establishment of a new form of mass sports theater on a professional basis should be noted. The joint work of sports directors with professional directors, choreographers, artists and composers contributed to mutual creative enrichment. The result of this wonderful community was the emergence of beautiful compositions of mass gymnastic performances and sports festivals, which entered the treasury of mass art. This creative union of individual directors continues to this day.
The first who tested themselves in this new promising genre and provided invaluable, effective assistance to young sports directors were the choreographers I.A. Moiseev and K.Ya. Goleizovsky. Performances by I.A. Moiseev at the Sports Parade of 1937 with A.A. Gubanov on the topic "The Border is Locked" (delegation of Belarus), and in 1938 with director M. Okunev on the topic "If there is war tomorrow" (delegation of the Institute physical culture) entered the history of mass sports spectacles. They are still standards by which today's productions can be compared.
I. A. Moiseev continued to cooperate with sports directors in the post-war years. Together with director Ya.B. Teverovsky at the Sports Parades of 1947 and 1954. he staged very interesting, one might say, innovative compositions for the Russian delegation. For example, in 1947, at the end of the performance, mosaic drawings appeared for the first time, which were drawn up by athletes using double-sided flags in color. Subsequently, they were widely used in the work of the artistic background and were called "background flasks".
K.Ya.Goleizovsky, together with A.A.Gubanov, represented the sports delegation of Belarus at the sports parades of 1938 and 1939. They entered the history of mass gymnastic performances as the creators of flow exercises on a specially created structure (1938), which received the name "Belarusian vase". Since then, in the compositions of sports events and mass performances, various modifications and analogues of this design have appeared and still appear - "Cup", "Fountain", "Spiral", "Cylinder", "Peacock tail", "Cotton box", etc. .
The practical activities of I.A. Moiseev and K.Ya. Goleizovsky in staging mass sports performances had a great influence on the work of sports directors of that time, and Ya.B. leading positions in directing mass sports spectacles in the country.
This teamwork did not pass without a trace for choreographers. The experience of working with large masses of participants, mastering the expressive means of sports help today in the creative work of Igor Alexandrovich Moiseev. So, for example, in the program (1983) of the State Academic Order of Friendship of Peoples of the Folk Dance Ensemble, whose permanent artistic director and choreographer is I.A. Moiseev, the choreographic scene "Labor Day" is built on the principles of mass gymnastic exercises, representing a successful a combination of expressive means of choreography and mass sports performances.
(Rice. 2, 3. Sports parades: Petrograd, 1923Leningrad, 1939
Rice. 4. All-Union Athlete's Day 1939.
Rice. 5 Physical culture parade in 1945).
Summing up prewar period in the development of mass sports and art theater, we can draw the following conclusions:
1. The sports parade in the 30s, having reached the pinnacle of its development, established itself as the leading form of mass sports spectacles and holidays, deserving the warm recognition and love of the people.
2.As a result creative search new expressive means of the Sports Parade, mass sports performances were developed, which were originally included in the parade in the form of separate mass gymnastic performances, making up its second part.
3. Sports directing of those years achieved certain successes, especially in staging individual mass gymnastic performances. Many expressive means were established: mass freestyle, flow and pyramid exercises, exercises on various structures and gymnastic apparatus, etc. The installation of solo and group numbers with a mass number was quite skillfully carried out. For the first time, the means of art appeared and were widely used in mass gymnastic performances (dance compositions of professional and amateur groups). The best productions of those years were distinguished by high ideological content, imagery of the solution and disclosure of the theme, and completeness of the composition. A whole galaxy of talented sports directors appeared, such as S Lazarev, A. Brykii, A. Brazhiik, A. Gubaiov, M. Okuiev, L. Orlov, M. Segal and others.
4. Since the themes of individual mass gymnastic performances developed at the level of the theme of the Sports Parade as a whole - always large-scale and comprehensive in its meaning -, the semantic montage of mass performances among themselves did not great influence on the development of the logic of action (the meaning did not change from the rearrangement of individual speeches). Therefore, at the basis of constructing the composition of the parade, and especially its second part, at best lay the principle of increasing action. However, more often, regardless of the content, individual speeches were placed in the program according to the rank and importance of the delegations. The physical culture parades of those years did not have a final action - the final of the performance. Thus, the absence of a semantic logic of the development of the action in the disclosure of the theme and idea, the absence of a through director's move in the performance as a whole were characteristic features of the direction of the pre-war Sports Parades. This also indicates that the function of the chief director as director was reduced to a minimum. At the same time, taking into account the huge mass character and the large representation of delegations in the Sports Parades, his function as an organizer was of particular importance.
Interrupted by the Great Patriotic War, the All-Union physical culture parades resumed in 1945. It is noteworthy that in May an act of unconditional surrender was signed. Nazi Germany in World War II, and already in August, the All-Union Parade of Athletes took place on Red Square in Moscow. The fact itself is very significant, testifying to the great role of mass sports festivals in the country. Soviet people after the horrors of war, suffering, inhuman tension, they finally truly felt what peace on Earth is. Everything was imbued with delight, jubilation, great love for the Motherland. It was a celebration of the pride of the victorious people, a celebration of joy and happiness.
Delegations from all the Union Republics, as well as Moscow and Leningrad, were represented in the solemn march and mass gymnastic performances. A total of 27 thousand people participated. Compositionally, this parade was built on the same principles as the Sports Parades of the pre-war years.
In total, after the Great Patriotic War, four All-Union parades were held (1945, 1946, 1947 and 1954), and each of them left a special mark on the history of the sports and art theater. The sports parade of 1945 was the last All-Union parade held on Red Square and one of the grandiose celebrations dedicated to the Victory Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. The parade of athletes in 1946 was for the first time held not on Red Square, but at the stadium. The 1947 sports parade was dedicated to significant date- 30th anniversary of October, and the 1954 parade went down in history as the last independent All-Union physical culture parade in our country.
The Sports Parade of 1946 was of particular importance in the formation of forms of mass sports performances. Holding it at the stadium led to a revision of some of the already established traditions in staging work. The transition from the square to the stadium was not completely unexpected for the directors. After all, even before the parades held on Red Square were repeated many times (in order to reach a larger number of spectators) at the Dynamo Central Stadium. Naturally, mass compositions prepared specifically for the square were not always directly suitable for the stadium. The directors understood that the stadium required other solutions. The process of searching for new and rethinking existing expressive means and compositions began.
It became quite clear that one of the expressive means of mass sports performances - building and rebuilding in the stadium acquire a different meaning than in the square. The symbolism and colorfulness of the construction drawings, the purity and logic of the transition from drawing to drawing, from one episode to another, become one of the main and defining components of the success of the spectacle. With the change in the color of the stage area (the gray paving stones of the square were replaced by the green grass cover of the stadium) and the angle of the audience's view of the performances, the color scheme of the participants' costumes and objects for performing exercises acquired special significance. After all, at the stadium, the audience got the opportunity to perceive not separate zones of the stage space and fragments of performances, as it was on the square, but the whole space and the whole composition as a whole.
most challenging task What the stadium put before the director was the definition of the angle of the performance. Logic suggested that the circular arrangement of spectators in the stands of the stadium requires an appropriate construction of the composition. In practice, everything turned out differently. Building a composition with an equivalent circular view turned out to be a very difficult task, which has not been completely solved to this day.
We should pay tribute to the directing of that time, which found, albeit a compromise, but a way out of the situation. At the stadium, as on the stage of a theater, a color backdrop was created (chief director - M.D. Segal, chief artist - B.G. Knoblok). For this, 7,000 participants were placed on one of the stands (opposite the central one). Each of them had an album bound from colored sheets. At the command of the director, all participants simultaneously opened the color indicated by him and thereby created a color background for the speakers on the field. It was new, different, big, colorful and a big success.
Many years have passed since then. The backdrop in the stands has become an essential attribute of almost all major sports performances and holidays. Over the past years, its enormous potential has been revealed as a very bright and effective means of expression, contributing to the figurative disclosure of the theme and idea of the presentation. No wonder today it is called an artistic background or a live screen. The main subject for creating mosaic background patterns was a two-color background flag.
With the entrance to the stadium, there was a reassessment of values in the composition of the Sports Parade itself. The running track of the stadium did not allow to hold the first part, i.e. the actual parade, as it was on Red Square. Here it turned into a parade of delegations of the Union Republics and columns of athletes from the DSO and departments, gradually losing its original meaning as an independent form of mass sports spectacles. At the same time, the stadium significantly expanded the possibilities for holding the second part - mass gymnastic performances. And the directors immediately took advantage of this. In particular, programs great place began to occupy sports competitions in various sports ( athletics, wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, football, etc.), which alternated with mass performances.
The content of mass gymnastic performances has also changed. They have become more sporty. Less used folk dances, but the volume of elements of sports and divine gymnastics, acrobatics and other sports has increased. "Inclusion in the programs of parades of athletes in 1946, 1947 and 1954, in addition to mass gymnastic performances, competitions in various sports, justified itself. Parades as a spectacle have become more diverse and sporty. Spectators' impressions of mass gymnastic performances, bright colors, and music have been supplemented with intensity wrestling and passion". This conclusion, made by the chief director of these holidays, M.D. Segal (see: M.D. Segal. Sports holidays and spectacles "- M .: FiS, 1977, p. 24), is quite fair and objective, if we consider a sports performance as a set of separate, unrelated numbers, as a sum of colorful and emotional divertissements.
However, considering this innovation from the position modern requirements to the ideological and thematic basis of the performance, it can be argued that it was a step backwards in the direction of that time. This is due to the fact that the inclusion of purely sports numbers of a competitive nature in alternation with mass gymnastic performances of a thematic nature inevitably leads to a violation of the integrity of the composition and prevents the audience from perceiving the main idea and logic of the entire performance.
One of important components mass sports performances is the tempo-rhythmic pattern of their construction. Its main characteristics:
the duration of individual numbers, episodes, performances as a whole;
rhythm and arrhythmia of time intervals of individual, following friend for other numbers, episodes;
pace (number of actions per unit of time);
contrast of numbers and episodes according to the director's decision and the choice of expressive means;
the effectiveness of individual numbers and episodes, their arrangement in the composition;
montage - the logic of the semantic connection of episodes with each other in the disclosure of the theme and idea of representation (semantic montage) and the quality of the transitions themselves from number to number, from episode to episode (technical montage).
The effectiveness of the tempo-rhythm, i.e. the creation of an emotional mood among the audience for the active perception of the performance, largely depends on the duration of the spectacle as a whole. As the practice of today shows, the optimal duration of the performance, given that they are held without a break, is 1.5 - 2 hours. When the performance drags on, the effectiveness of the tempo-rhythm decreases. Moreover, even a performance that is optimal in duration, but staged by the director without taking into account tempo-rhythmic patterns, can be perceived by the audience as drawn out and monotonous.
It is very difficult to compare performances that are separated by decades, and even more so to draw conclusions and assessments due to the difference in conditions, tasks, requirements, etc. But the problem of time, in particular, the duration of the performance, has become for directing post-war years constant, which was due to the huge mass character of sports spectacles and the wide representation of various delegations and teams.
For example, the All-Union Physical Culture Parade of 1954. About 40 thousand people took part in it. The following delegations and columns were represented in mass gymnastic performances with the participation of about 30 thousand people:
delegations from all the Union Republics (from 300 to 420 people each, excluding the largest delegations: Belarus - 700 people, Ukraine - 1000 people and Russia - 2800 people);
A column of Moscow schoolchildren (1300 people);
Column DSO "Labor reserves" (3800 people);
The column of students of the Institute of Physical Culture. P.F. Lesgaft (850 people);
A column of students from Moscow universities (2800 people);
A column of students of the Central Institute of Physical Culture (850 people);
Column of gymnasts of sports unions of trade unions (4000 people);
Participants of the artistic background (7000 people).
In addition to the named mass performances, the program of the All-Union Physical Culture Parade of 1954 included:
Performance of the strongest gymnasts of the country (separate number);
Athletics competitions, combined into five independent numbers of the program (start and finish of the marathon run; 3000 m run - men; javelin throw - women and men; 100 m run - women and men; 400 m run - men; run on men's 100m hurdles; men's 400m hurdles; women's 4x200m relay race; women's 800m run; men's 1500m run).
Competitions in classical and freestyle wrestling;
Weightlifting competitions (exercises in the press, snatch and clean and jerk to break records).
Above is the program of only the second part of the 1954 parade, i.e. mass gymnastic performances and sports competitions, and there was also the first part - a march parade, in which 24 columns of athletes took part, representing Union Republics, DSO and departments. The grandiose mass character of this parade is quite obvious.
And he was no exception. The mass character as a characteristic feature of the All-Union physical culture parades dictated its conditions to the directors. Therefore, the duration of the spectacle for more than four hours was a common thing.
In the future, both the number of participants in mass sports and art performances, and their duration, have undergone significant changes. For example, 17,500 people took part in the opening ceremony of the Games of the XXII Olympiad in 1980 in Moscow. At the same time, the performance itself (greeting the youth to the participants and guests of the Games) lasted less than 1 hour, and the closing celebration Olympic Games with the participation of 13,000 people lasted 1 hour 30 minutes.
It is very difficult to talk about the dramaturgy of such grandiose sports spectacles as the All-Union physical culture parades. However, we can say with confidence that these were colorful spectacles of great political significance, promoting the way of life of the people, physical culture and sports in our country.
