singing that heals
Shuma on the Choir that Cures
Belarusian vocal therapist shares her experience of group singing in the choir of women émigrés as a way to show care, cherish the moment of togetherness and give each other support
Maryna Rusya Shukiurava (Rusya) is a singer, a cultural agent, a promoter of traditional Belarusian culture and language, and a cultural influencer from Belarus.
Rusya (from a variation of her name - "Marysia") started her music career in 2000 as a pro-fem rock singer, six years later she grew interested in etno musical research, switching from rock to etno fusions. Since then, she has been promoting Belarusian language and culture and fostering Belarusians' cultural identity. In 2010, the performer shifted her focus from Belarusian etno code to Europe and joined the etno-jazz project "KAZALPIN" (Switzerland/Belarus) taking part in gigs and festivals for about ten years.
In 2011, Rusia formed "SHUMA" - her personal project with which she became the main influencer in Belarusian etno-electronic scene. "SHUMA" received numerous awards in Belarus and was welcomed across the world, taking part in the selection for "Eurovision" music festival. One of "SHUAMA"'s side projects was the unique library of traditional Belarusian symbols. "SHUMA" believes in the healing powers of music and sees a powerful therapeutic effect on brain activity and mood modulation in Belarusian songs.
Being a political refugee in Poland, Rusya created "SPIEVY" ("songs", in Belarusian) - a choir of Belarusian female émigrés that focuses on empowering Belarusian women in exile through ensuring their freedom of creative musical expression and building trust, close connection, and open contact in a safe and supportive community.
Rusya (from a variation of her name - "Marysia") started her music career in 2000 as a pro-fem rock singer, six years later she grew interested in etno musical research, switching from rock to etno fusions. Since then, she has been promoting Belarusian language and culture and fostering Belarusians' cultural identity. In 2010, the performer shifted her focus from Belarusian etno code to Europe and joined the etno-jazz project "KAZALPIN" (Switzerland/Belarus) taking part in gigs and festivals for about ten years.
In 2011, Rusia formed "SHUMA" - her personal project with which she became the main influencer in Belarusian etno-electronic scene. "SHUMA" received numerous awards in Belarus and was welcomed across the world, taking part in the selection for "Eurovision" music festival. One of "SHUAMA"'s side projects was the unique library of traditional Belarusian symbols. "SHUMA" believes in the healing powers of music and sees a powerful therapeutic effect on brain activity and mood modulation in Belarusian songs.
Being a political refugee in Poland, Rusya created "SPIEVY" ("songs", in Belarusian) - a choir of Belarusian female émigrés that focuses on empowering Belarusian women in exile through ensuring their freedom of creative musical expression and building trust, close connection, and open contact in a safe and supportive community.
Rusya/Shuma
Singer, vocal therapist, cultural influencer
Women's Singing Circle in Exile
A year ago (in 2023) I moved to Poland - it was my third forced emigration since 2020 and here I suddenly faced intense loneliness and confusion. I had no idea of how to build my life further. The third country I had to move to, I should say, really broke me and I started looking for consolation and support - primarily for myself.
In a situation when a person feels like a stranger, out of place, (s)he wants to quickly find their tribe, join a larger system - some community (s)he belongs to.
I have different vocal experiences: solo singing in SHUMA project, singing in a trio in KAZALPIN ethno-jazz group, and I also sing with choirs for pleasure. For a long time, I had felt a need in teaching women Belarusian songs, passing on knowledge about this tradition and therapeutic potential of singing and sound. I thought of making my own choir, but this intention requires hard pedagogical work and until recently I had not dared to do it. But, here in Poland, when my émigré friends addressed me with the proposal to just get together and sing, I immediately accepted their proposal.
In exile, when a person feels kind of torn out of his or her native context, the subconscious desire to “be cuddled in mom’s arms” motivates to look for one's circle. Our circle here is our choir, it is also our symbolic mother who nourishes, supports and loves us by giving us hope for the better.
In a situation when a person feels like a stranger, out of place, (s)he wants to quickly find their tribe, join a larger system - some community (s)he belongs to.
I have different vocal experiences: solo singing in SHUMA project, singing in a trio in KAZALPIN ethno-jazz group, and I also sing with choirs for pleasure. For a long time, I had felt a need in teaching women Belarusian songs, passing on knowledge about this tradition and therapeutic potential of singing and sound. I thought of making my own choir, but this intention requires hard pedagogical work and until recently I had not dared to do it. But, here in Poland, when my émigré friends addressed me with the proposal to just get together and sing, I immediately accepted their proposal.
In exile, when a person feels kind of torn out of his or her native context, the subconscious desire to “be cuddled in mom’s arms” motivates to look for one's circle. Our circle here is our choir, it is also our symbolic mother who nourishes, supports and loves us by giving us hope for the better.
"One gets a feeling of a choir as a large living organism and it works on its own, while our singing bodies simply transmit the vibration and energy." Photo: Pasha Kritchko
The Power of "the Great Sister"
I really appreciate choir as a group therapy tool. When many voices merge, both performers and listeners have a transpersonal experience. When singing in a choir, it is often unclear who is singing: is it my ligaments vibrating, or those of my neighbor's? One gets a feeling of a choir as a large living organism and it works on its own, while our singing bodies simply transmit the vibration and energy. In this experience, I become someone small, where all the voices form a larger figure, and I can relieve myself of all adult responsibilities and just be a singing body - I can take a break from the stress of life.
People who listen to group singing also merge with the flow of the voices and experience trance. Choral events are like a mystical ceremony because singing and listening to sounds reveal a lot of unconscious stuff and encountering it is always fascinating.
And, most importantly, choral experience, both on the part of the performers and the listeners, always gives the opportunity to share the feeling of family, of one’s own tribe, to become a part of a large and resourceful community. Humans are very much dependent on sound. We begin to feel our mother’s voice with our skin already in the womb, and contacting sound and singing has a deep meaning for us.
Working with the choir fulfills a number of my personal and professional needs. For example, in the choir I am not alone, I am seen, I am important - a generous exchange of emotions and support happens between us. The choir is my tribe, my sisters, it gives me the feeling of a big family. When we spend time together, rehearse, sing, we feel time stopping, heavy feelings recede and for a while we grasp the moment of living a normal relaxed life.
I have been singing since childhood and working with voice for as long as I remember myself. For more than 10 years, I worked as a TV dubbing actress, always being interested in the influence of sound. My passion for the voice led me to become a vocal therapist. I studied with the German professor Hans-Helmut Decker-Voigt, who introduced me to the new facets of music and the world of sound therapy. That’s how I started working with clients from all over the world as a voice therapist.
Interacting with my choir, I can also try various therapeutic formats and techniques, test something that later can be used in my personal practice. I pass on the knowledge about the ways different voices affect our state, as well as about self-regulation through singing and sound. My therapeutic goal here is to make these tools avaliable to anyone interested.
People who listen to group singing also merge with the flow of the voices and experience trance. Choral events are like a mystical ceremony because singing and listening to sounds reveal a lot of unconscious stuff and encountering it is always fascinating.
And, most importantly, choral experience, both on the part of the performers and the listeners, always gives the opportunity to share the feeling of family, of one’s own tribe, to become a part of a large and resourceful community. Humans are very much dependent on sound. We begin to feel our mother’s voice with our skin already in the womb, and contacting sound and singing has a deep meaning for us.
Working with the choir fulfills a number of my personal and professional needs. For example, in the choir I am not alone, I am seen, I am important - a generous exchange of emotions and support happens between us. The choir is my tribe, my sisters, it gives me the feeling of a big family. When we spend time together, rehearse, sing, we feel time stopping, heavy feelings recede and for a while we grasp the moment of living a normal relaxed life.
I have been singing since childhood and working with voice for as long as I remember myself. For more than 10 years, I worked as a TV dubbing actress, always being interested in the influence of sound. My passion for the voice led me to become a vocal therapist. I studied with the German professor Hans-Helmut Decker-Voigt, who introduced me to the new facets of music and the world of sound therapy. That’s how I started working with clients from all over the world as a voice therapist.
Interacting with my choir, I can also try various therapeutic formats and techniques, test something that later can be used in my personal practice. I pass on the knowledge about the ways different voices affect our state, as well as about self-regulation through singing and sound. My therapeutic goal here is to make these tools avaliable to anyone interested.
Group singing slows down time, calms a fussy mind, and weakens protective mechanisms of the psyche. All this gives a feeling of strength, emotional stability, a sense of one’s own beauty.
Rusya/Shuma
Singer, vocal therapist, cultural influencer
Rebuilding the Space of Home
For the first time, the choir met in the spring of 2023. Before the cold weather set in, we rehearsed under the bridge of the Praga district (Świętokrzyski Bridge). That's why we call ourselves - "spievy z-pad mosta" ("songs from under the bridge"). So, it is there where we rehearsed and filmed, enjoying good acoustics and closeness to water and large spaces, without disturbing anyone. We felt good and safe.
And, indeed, our choir is also a symbolic bridge that leads us home. We have a ritual to end every meeting, it is our mantra song “Dadomu, da khaty" ("Home, to your own home", Belarusian) that we sing standing in a circle for five minutes, holding our hands on the chest, to feel the heart beating. Each girl recalls her own home and forms its space inside herself.
Here is a matra tutorial I have recorded (in Belarusian) for those who want to practice it from anywhere in the world.
And, indeed, our choir is also a symbolic bridge that leads us home. We have a ritual to end every meeting, it is our mantra song “Dadomu, da khaty" ("Home, to your own home", Belarusian) that we sing standing in a circle for five minutes, holding our hands on the chest, to feel the heart beating. Each girl recalls her own home and forms its space inside herself.
Here is a matra tutorial I have recorded (in Belarusian) for those who want to practice it from anywhere in the world.
Once a month we hold open singing circles - a free event where we learn a bit of how to breathe, sound, and briefly discuss some therapeutic aspects: we invite our guests to sit or lie in a circle, while our choir surrounds them, we dim the lights, join hands and start singing. These circles are our attempt to recreate our home where we are living. In this space of voices and ancient songs of our native culture, people are gradually healing their wounds of “a stranger” in exile.
We have recently released a set of samples of choir voices so that musicians around the world could add our songs to their music pieces. And this is also a kind of bridge between our culture and the world.
We have recently released a set of samples of choir voices so that musicians around the world could add our songs to their music pieces. And this is also a kind of bridge between our culture and the world.
Choral experience, both on the part of the performers and the listeners, always gives the opportunity to experience the feeling of family, one’s own tribe, to become a part of a large and resourceful community.
Rusya/Shuma
Singer, vocal therapist, cultural influencer
"In this space of voices and ancient songs of our native culture, people are gradually healing their wounds of “a stranger” in exile." Photo: Pasha Kritchko
As a woman, I am deeply inspired by working with other women. Our choir is almost a year old and we have taken this time to create a symbolic figure of the “great sister” - a name we gave to a pleasant state we immerse ourselves in while singing. Group singing slows down time, calms a fussy mind, and weakens protective mechanisms of the psyche. It gives a feeling of strength, emotional stability, a sense of one’s own beauty. The girls say that thanks to this experience, when feeling vulnerable, they connect to the choir, take the power of the “great sister” and feel better - just like at our rehearsals. So, the choir becomes my support both in professional and personal life. And I am grateful for this.
"These are ordinary women, just like me, so I can do this too! Let me do it!" Photo: Pasha Kritchko
Rebuilding the Space of Home
Our choir attracts not only émigrés. We are a little more than 30 people, it is a very living and authentic organism. The choir has its own style - black dresses and red lipstick. Black in the Belarusian tradition is the color of wealth and sorrow. Our culture is rich and we mourn for all the people who are locked up in prisons in Belarus today. Red lipstick is a sign of support for the political prisoner Maria Kolesnikova. In the video you can listen and watch our concert held in the Church of St. Alexander in Warsaw. During that very performance we decided not to wear the red lipstick, but kept the color of our clothes black.
This concert was created together with the outstanding Belarusian composer, organist Olga Podgaiskaya and saxophonist Vitaly Appow. Olga suggested creating an organ concert with our songs to show the depth and delicacy of the Belarusian song - and we decided to try it.
It is worth noting that an important feature of our choir is unprofessional singing. This is live authentic performance done without "tuning" and special professional vocal training. Here we do not aim to sing the notes perfectly, but focus on the manner of singing. The choir sings as an ordinary person would do - without any jazz or pop techniques. We study the intricacies of folk vocals only.
Thanks to this approach, the sound of the choir reaches the very heart of the listeners, because it is easy to connect with it. "These are ordinary women, just like me, so I can do this too! Let me do it!" So, it is easy for people to associate themselves with the choir and enjoy it.
At this concert we created a story about Belarusian culture. The organ opens the story, while the voices close it. The result is a solemn melancholic performance with a great impulse of hope at the end. People cried and stayed in the hall, not wanting to leave for long. After the concert, some told me that our concert was similar to the group chanting of OM - only instead of being hugged by a monk, the guests were hugged by sisters and mothers.
So, I am now inviting you to listen. And, if you are interested, observe your body's reactions to certain songs. I sincerely hope you will enjoy it and feel our support. If you are from Belarus, then this concert will become your bridge home - a place where our choir's story began.
Other photos used in the interview: Hanna Shot
Design: Olga Bubich
This concert was created together with the outstanding Belarusian composer, organist Olga Podgaiskaya and saxophonist Vitaly Appow. Olga suggested creating an organ concert with our songs to show the depth and delicacy of the Belarusian song - and we decided to try it.
It is worth noting that an important feature of our choir is unprofessional singing. This is live authentic performance done without "tuning" and special professional vocal training. Here we do not aim to sing the notes perfectly, but focus on the manner of singing. The choir sings as an ordinary person would do - without any jazz or pop techniques. We study the intricacies of folk vocals only.
Thanks to this approach, the sound of the choir reaches the very heart of the listeners, because it is easy to connect with it. "These are ordinary women, just like me, so I can do this too! Let me do it!" So, it is easy for people to associate themselves with the choir and enjoy it.
At this concert we created a story about Belarusian culture. The organ opens the story, while the voices close it. The result is a solemn melancholic performance with a great impulse of hope at the end. People cried and stayed in the hall, not wanting to leave for long. After the concert, some told me that our concert was similar to the group chanting of OM - only instead of being hugged by a monk, the guests were hugged by sisters and mothers.
So, I am now inviting you to listen. And, if you are interested, observe your body's reactions to certain songs. I sincerely hope you will enjoy it and feel our support. If you are from Belarus, then this concert will become your bridge home - a place where our choir's story began.
Other photos used in the interview: Hanna Shot
Design: Olga Bubich