The JibJab Blog

For our Russian Dance, Amia on our production team went right to the source with casting and found us the dancers of Barynya. These guys are the biggest Russian dance and music company outside of… well… Russia. Barynya owner Mikhail Smirnov arrived and performed with dancers Youri, Lilia, Ksenia, Dimitri and Artour, who rocked the floor. Spend some time browsing their website, they cover an insanely entertaining array of Russian, Cossack, Ukrainian, Jewish and Gypsy Roma traditional dancing… with videos galore!

Where’d we find that perfectly Russian track for Russian Dance, our latest Starring You video? Well if you’re a fan of Russian folk dance, the answer is obvious… it’s the Kalinka, a song first written in 1860 by Russian composer Ivan Larionov. Don’t know your Russian theatrical history? You’ll probably recognize the ever quickening beat from sports stadiums all over the world. Here’s an epic version performed by the Red Russian Army Choir.

Before we hit the bars, a quick check-in to say Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We hope you’ve been enjoying our series of behind-the-scenes blogs on the making of our new St. Paddy’s Day content. Much of it has been lovingly updated from standard dimensions to wide screen, with new hats and wigs added to our dancers and leprechauns.

Want more? Here’s a bonus, a break down of how we assigned who-should-be-who within Beer! Beer! BEER!. When you’ve got five characters, it’s important to give everyone a little time to star in their own scene and do their own thing, plus, a ringleader to lead the gang.

Like secrets? We’ve got a Facebook album full of them! Find hidden staff members, learn how we made beer taps and see where we stole those red chairs from in this week’s collection of behind the scenes art for our St. Patrick’s Day hit, Beer! Beer! BEER! Ready for backgrounds and props? Click onward to our Facebook album!