Designed to combat the extremely cold Russian winters, valenki were normally made from thick felt.

In winter they wore gray and black , sometimes white valenki- felt boot .

Her signature songs were Valenki and Katyusha, written specially for her.

"These valenki are bloody warm.

Also, to protect from getting wet - they use a rubber sole, and there are valenki with glue-sew and molded soles.

He portrays Zapoli Valenki and Maria Paranova.

Valenki stem from the traditional felt boots worn by nomads of the Great Steppe (including Southern Rus'), whose history goes back over 1500 years.

Unlike hand-made traditional valenki from sheep wool, camel valenki differ solely in their original appearance and the target audience.

There are also Museum of Valenki (valenki are Russian felt boots), ethnographical museum, art gallery, and more.

Traditionally, valenki come in brown, black, gray and white, but the last few years, consumers have been able to order these boots in a variety of colors (red, blue, purple, green, yellow, orange).

The dances, adapted for the concert stage by noted choreographers like Igor Moiseyev, include the czardas, the Gopak and Valenki, performed to music played by a teen-age accordionist from the academy.

When Ms. Lowin-Octeyn, in one of the grieving Graham bench dances, gave birth to Zapoi Valenki and strangled him with the umbilical cord, Mr. Taylor had his Medea story off and running.