The Russian American Center, located in Dallas, will be holding the 10th Annual Russian Winter Festival this Saturday night at 7:30 in Caruth Auditorium.

In what promises to be a fun-filled evening at this celebration of bidding farewell to winter and welcoming spring, one can expect to sample and experience Russian music, art and culture.

“This year’s festival is special, because this is the 10th Annual Russian Winter Festival at SMU.

We are very excited, because we have guests coming from all over to participate in this event,” said Tatiana Zimakova, founder of The Russian American Center and a professor here at SMU.

Performances are expected to be one of the many highlights of this event. The musical group Limpopo will present SMU students with its “Russian entertainment extraordinaire and one of the greatest collections of talent to ever hit the Americas, regardless of heritage,” according to its official Web site, www.limpopo.com.

In addition to Limpopo, the festival will include performances from several other musical artists.

The DISD Russian Choir “Radost,” conducted by Michelle Briscoe, will be performing.

The choir features over 80 students from McNair and Marsalis Elementary schools.

Also performing is a virtuoso four-piece group entitled Siman Tov (“Good Sign”), as well as classical pianists Elena Tsvetkova and Sergey Kuznetsov and UNT graduate student Inna Staneva on the flute.

Aside from being presented with traditional Russian music, attendees of the festival will also be able to view artwork in the lobby of Caruth Auditorium created by children from Saratov, a sister city of Dallas.

Pieces from famous modern Russian artists will be exhibited along side the children’s artwork.

Rounding out the evening will be a special ceremony recognizing the 10th anniversary of The Russian American Center and an award presentation to commemorate outstanding community leaders and International Ambassadors for Cultural Exchange.

Tickets for the 10th Annual Russian Winter Festival are $20 for general admission, $15 for students and seniors and free for both SMU students with ID and children under age 12.

Tickets will be available the night of the festival in Caruth Auditorium or online at www.centralticketoffice.com.

For more information on the Russian Winter Festival, visit www.russianamericancenter.net.

“We hope that people will come out and discover Russian culture,” Zimakova said.