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Famed Moscow Club Chinese Pilot Turns 15

Russian actress and singer Teona Dolnikova (left) partying with a friend at the Chinese Pilot.

On Saturday a pillar of the Moscow music scene, the Chinese Pilot Jao Da club, will celebrate its 15th anniversary in the nearby Muzeon park — because the club itself would be too small for all the events!

The celebration promises to be a day of fun-filled activities for all ages. Young thespians will be able to participate in a summer theater masterclass in the park and will have the opportunity to sing, dance and recite poetry on the stage.

In the evening there will be a "summer cinema," as well as performances from poets, writers and musicians. The "1/2 Orchestra," a promising acoustic band on the local scene, will perform solely using wind, brass and percussion instruments. The group's sound is an exciting mixture of hip-hop, funk, techno and avant-garde jazz — truly something for everybody. Guests will have the opportunity to dance to their sounds on the makeshift dance floor.

But there will also be a range of options for music lovers as artists and bands from the club's 15-year history, from 1999 to 2014, return. There will even be a surprise European headline act.

Irina Paperny, a member of the creative team that put the event together, said in a press release that "we worked on the music program full-swing all the time. You want to have the brightest most talented groups and be sure to have a group perform from Europe or America that has never been to Moscow before."

Refreshments will be available, with 500 liters of lemonade on hand to quench your thirst as well as 3,000 crepes made by the club's restaurant, if you get hungry.

The name Chinese Pilot Jao Da originates from a semi-mythical persona, Jao Da, whose portrait hangs in the club's concert hall in front of the stage. At the event on Saturday guests will have the opportunity to have their picture taken "with the pilot and sit in his plane," the press release said.

The club-cafe first opened its doors in 1999 and, since then, has hosted more than 5,000 concerts and held four outdoor festivals. This upcoming event promises to be an exciting celebration of all that the club has achieved over the years as well as a taste of what the club still has to offer in the future.

The celebration will take place on Saturday from 2 to 10 p.m. in the Muzeon park. Metro Oktyabrskaya. +7 495-624-5611.

Contact the author at artsreporter@imedia.ru

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