Mordovian nation as well as the Estonians, the Maris, the Udmurts and the Hungarians, the Karelians, the Finns, the Komis belong to the Ugro-Finnish peoples. They are united with profound historical roots but each of them remained distinctly original.
Saransk, the capital of Mordovia, is a large — scale industrial, scientific and cultural centre.
The profession skill of nations inhabiting Mordovia, represents itself in none to compare works of the brilliant
sculptor Stepan Erzya. The Art gallery is famous for a rich collection of the paintings by the gifted artists F. Sychkov, V. Ilyukhin, V. Popkov. The mordovian composer L. Kiryukov, merited workers of Mordovia G. Suraev-Korolyov, G. Vdovin, A. Averkin, N. Kosheleva have made a great contribution to the music elaboration. K. Abramov, Ya. Pinyasov, N. Erkai, I. Devin, I. Pinyaev are our literary geniuses.
The poetical temper of Mordovian nation is vividly expressed in its songs and in chaste dance movements.
They are evoked by fairyland images.
The performers clothing is decorated with mordovian national ornament.
The same ornament is on utensils. Haven’t you ever seen mordovian extravagant wooden fretwork? DO IT! All this has been part and parcel of mordovian nation’s life and fate since antiquity.
Ensemble «UMARINA» was founded in 1939-40. It propagandized mordovian musical and choreographic art.
Year from year its performance skill increases and its repertoire is enlarged. When renovating its concert programmes the group tries toenrich a range of expressiveness of its songs and dances.
Choral, dancing and vocal-choreographic items are based on merry and warm — hearted tunes, pure images. These items are evoked by native mordovian land, its riles and customs, its everyday life and holidays.
The ensemble skill is allied search and pains. The leaders of the ensemble who run it in different
times also had done their best. Here they are: its founder, merited worker in arts of Russia
P. Yemets; composer G. Dekhtyarev; merited worker in arts of Russia G. Suraev-Korolyov; merited worker in arts of Mordovia V. Beloklokov; choreographer, merited worker of Mordovia V. Zhestkov.
It was in the ensemble where a number of outstanding performers had a good start in their artistic life. Here they are: gifted folk song performers, national artists of Russia D. Eremeev, R. Bespalova, M. Antonova, A. Kulikova,
N. Markova; merited artists of Mordovia V. Grachov, M. Grachova, V. Kudryashev, I. Bataykin, D. Chetyrkin, I. Kalachina; famous Mordovian dancers merited artists of Mordovia
V. Pcholkin, V. Kargina, T. Gradusova, T. Geraskina, N. Lyug-zaeva, V. Chislyak and A. Laskorunsky.
Merited Worker in the Arts of Mordovia V. Chetyrkin has been running
the ensemble since 1990. Being an expert in mordovian national folklore
and possessing a great professional skill he has enriched the concert programme of ensemble «Umarina».
Since its foundation the ensemble has won its fame not onlv in Mordovia but also overseas. Thev toured in all the corners of our vast country: from Brest to Sakhalin, from Murmansk to Kushka. The top concerts halls of Germany, Bulgaria, Czech and Slovakia, Poland and Finland saw the ensemble.

The ensemble original and vivid art met ready response everywhere.
Merry and melodious songs performed
by the ensemble are placed on audio- and video records.
The ensemble «Umarina» has prepared and performed with a number of interesting vocal and choreographic concert items for the last few years. One of the brightest is a new concert programme «The land of Mordovia – beautiful land».
In 1974 the ensemble «Umarina» due to its outstanding achievements in the sphere of concert
art was awarded the State Prize of Mordovia. In 1978 the ensemble was awarded the Diploma of Honour as a winner in Ail-Union competition of state dance and song ensembles.