“On behalf of the United States Government, I congratulate the Russian American Foundation and the Bolshoi Ballet Academy on 15 years of successful partnership. Your collaboration has deepened ties between the U.S. and Russian dance communities and encouraged cross cultural understanding through the arts, despite the challenges in the official bilateral relationship. Your success demonstrates that the Russian and American people can perform, learn, and thrive side-by-side. I wish you many more years of successful collaboration ahead.”
- Honorable John J. Sullivan, U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, 2022
“The Russian American Foundation’s contributions to cultural, educational, and sports programs in the United States and Russia help foster greater understanding between the people. Such programs highlight the things that the American and Russian people have in common.”
- Honorable Michael A. McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, 2012

Other Cultural Events & Initiatives
BBASI Alumni Series with Gabe Stone Shayer
BBASI Alumni & ABT Soloist, Gabe Stone Shayer, shares his experiences training in Russian style, dancing professionally, and being an ambassador of ballet and of the U.S. around the world. He also offers valuable insights to future generations of young dancers!
BBASI Alumni Series with Indiana Woodward
BBASI Alumna, winner of RAF's Bolshoi Ballet Academy Performance Scholarship, & NYCB Soloist, Indiana Woodward, shares experiences of her ballet journey, transitioning from Russian to Balanchine training, and her insights for success in ballet & beyond!
BBASI Alumni Series with Matisse Love
BBASI Alumna and Soloist with The Russian State Ballet Theater, Matisse Love, shares her ballet journey, inspirations, experience with Russian Training, and insights on transitioning into a professional dance career!
New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
March 10 (Tue), 2020
Watch KHL MVP Nikita Gusev of the New Jersey Devils take on Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins. A fun-filled night showcasing Russian culture and heritage. Get your ticket by February 1, 2020 to receive a special Russian Heritage Night t-shirt and New Jersey Devils drawstring bag! Valid while supplies last!
Prudential Center
25 Lafayette St Newark, New Jersey 07102
This event is not organized by and/or affiliated with the Russian American Foundation.
For all details please click here.
Exhibition "Pieced Together: Patchwork Quilts From Russia"
February 26 - May 11. 2019
The exhibition, presented in collaboration with the Quilters Hall of Fame in Indianapolis, showcases the works of contemporary Russian craftswomen.
The Quilters Hall of Fame
626 S Washington Street, Marion, IN 46953
Exhibition "Pieced Together: Patchwork Quilts From Russia"
July 23 - October 2o, 2018
Presented in collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, the exhibit showcases the diversity and exuberance of some of the most talented contemporary Russian craftswomen. Quilts depict handwork history in Ivanovo, Russia; traditional women’s dress of Russia; Russian nursery rhymes and folklore; heroic history; and daily life of Russian culture from the past and present. Delicate hand stitching and whimsical applique play with calico prints in bright primary colors to tell a story with each quilt, making this an enjoyable exhibit for all ages.
The Rocky Mountain Quilt Exhibit
200 Violet Street, Unit 140, Golden, CO 80401
Conference "Jews In and After the 1917 Russian Revolution"
November 5-6, 2017
The year of 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which as it later turned out has become one of the defining moments of the XX century. While the Russian Revolution liberated the largest Jewish community in the world, it has also opened the floodgates for the greatest massacre of Jews before the Second World War amid the Civil War and its aftermath in 1918-21. Presented by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
A Presentation of Simon Sebag Montefiore’s New Bestseller
“The Romanovs”
May 3, 2016
Simon Sebag Montefiore, one of the most acclaimed and accomplished historians of Russia and Middle East, a best-selling and prize-winning British novelist whose books are published in over 45 languages, will be presenting his new book — “The Romanovs”. Professor Barry Goldsmith of New York University who is currently working on the TV series “Secrets & Palaces of the Romanovs” will be joining the discussion with the author.
The Brownstone
224 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
Exhibition "Chernobyl: Tragedy, Lessons, Hope" by Philip Grossman
April 18 - 22, 2016
The photo exhibition in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy was organized jointly by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the UN, Project Chernobyl, Russian American Foundation, and unite4:good. The exhibition was opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, and the Administrator of UN Development Programme, Helen Clark.
The United Nations Headquarters,
Conference Building, New York, NY 10017
A Staged Reading of a Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Uncle Dream"
February 10 (7pm), 2016
An evening of comedy courtesy of Fydor Dostoevsky and his remarkable novella, Uncle’s Dream! Adapted by Eddie Aronoff and directed by the Moscow Art Theatre’s Nicole Kontolefa, this staged reading will feature a cast of a dozen of New York’s finest actors. Food and beverages will be offered for the well-behaved.
The Brownstone
224 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
Evgeny Kissin, Boris Sandler, Margarita and Nukhim Koyfman
December 6, 2015
Join Evgeny Kissin, Boris Sandler, and the Koyfmans to celebrate their CD, Songs with a Jewish Flavor, with an evening of music performance, Yiddish poetry readings, and excerpts from Soviet films. Featuring popular Soviet songs by composers such as Isaak Dunayevsky and Nikita Bogoslovsky, Songs with a Jewish Flavor includes new compositions by Rita Koyfman, and lyrics by Boris Sandler. .
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
“Extraordinary Concert” by Obraztsov Puppet Theater
November 8 (6pm), 2015
The most popular puppet show of the twentieth and twenty first centuries, “Extraordinary Concert” is a hilarious satire of bad performers, inept singers, clumsy dancers, musicians and magicians. Since its inception, the show and its antics have remained a beloved favorite amongst adults and children alike. “Extraordinary Concert” premiered in Russia in 1946, and has since been performed an astonishing 10,000 times in dozens of different languages and in over 40 countries. Presented in collaboration with the Master Theater and with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
Master Theater, 1029 Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11235
Concert "Voice of Asia" by Astana Opera
October 27 (8pm), 2014
The program will include a special selection of Kazakh folk songs, solos from operas by Kazakh composers Zhubanov-Khamidi, Rakhmadiev and Mukhamejanov, arias from operas by Rossini, Verdi, Bernstein, Offenbach, and Borodin, and the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto featuring brilliant young violinist Erzhan Kulibaev.
Conductor: Abzal Mulhitdinov.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall,
57th Street & Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Russian American Foundation celebrates the launch of 22 "Ideas to Fix the World: Conversations with the World’s Foremost Thinkers" with editor Piotr Dutkiewicz, contributor Olzhas Suleimenov, and Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the US Kairat Umarov. In this unique volume from the World Public Forum Dialogue of Civilizations and the Social Science Research Council, some of the world’s greatest minds explore what the prolonged instability of the so-called Great Recession means for our traditional understanding of how governments can and should function.
National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003
"Magical Visions: The Jewelry and Sculpture of Dashi Namdakov"
Sept 9 - Nov 1, 2013
The Buryat born artist, Dashi Namdakov, will be exhibiting his work as part of a celebration honoring Gilbert Albert Jewelry House’s 60th Anniversary. His inspirational work draws from natural and spiritual sources, forming cohesive and emotive pieces that reflect a larger sense of life. Like Gilbert Albert, Dashi Namdakov’s creations evoke the wealth of nature’s forms in all their magnificent beauty.
Gilbert Albert Gallery
43 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
Ukrainian Avant-Garde Art: The Odessan Parisians Exhibit
Jan 31 - Feb 11, 2012
The exhibit comprises paintings from the distinguished collection of Boris Fuchsmann, Andrey Adamovski and Alexander Suslenski. It was believed that many paintings were lost during the years of Russian Revolution and the Civil War, until they were recently discovered. The paintings on view were all completed in the early 20th century by the leading members of the ‘Society of Independent Artists,’ or ‘Odessan Parisians,’ including Amshei Nurenberg, Micail Gershenfeld, Isaac Malik, Theophil Fraerman, Sigismund Olesevich and Israel Mexin. Their very name-the ‘Independents’-suggests their independence from traditional artistic movements.
National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003
Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the U.S., General Consulate of Kazakhstan in New York, and the Russian American Foundation proudly present Classical Music Concert by Kazakh National Orchestra under baton of Maestro Bisengaliev, in celebration of Kazakhstan’s National Day and its 20th Anniversary of Independence.
Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019
Russian Culture and Sports Night
January 19, 2011
Russian American Foundation and Nets Basketball are proud to present the Russian Culture and Sports Night.
Presented by Aeroflot – Russian Airlines.
Prudential Center,
25 Lafayette St, Newark, NJ 07102