Like millions of my countrymen, I spent Easter respecting the golden-spend-time-with-family rule. This time I was also lucky enough to be offered a gift from the Romanian media, which inspired me to write about three famous Romanians, all three of them special artists : Dan Puric, Gigi Caciuleanu and Maia Morgenstern (in opening picture).

They reminded me of couple of important things, which can be passed on to future generations, among which love as the main meaning of life, the true belief as our universal compass, the hard and honest work as the only way to live with dignity, morality as an essential and absolute need of an honest life, compassion as a specific human being feature, empathy as a main way to relate with others.

Dan Puric is a famous artist, writer and theatre director who developed a very personal and specific style while creating pantomime performances, by using non verbal language, minimalist “mise en scene” and various music pieces on diverse topics. He was born in 1959 at Nehoiu, in the Buzau county, studied at the Academy of Theatre and Cinematography “I.L. Caragiale”  in Bucharest, where he graduated in 1985. After three years at the theatre “Mihai Eminescu” in Botosani in the  Moldavia region, he came to Bucharest at the National Theatre “I.L.Caragiale” in Bucharest.

From 1988, Dan Puric performed in many plays, which were very well received in Romania and aboard, such as: Don Quijote by Cervantes, “The self destroyer” by Erdman. He directed performances as : Dream (where he acted too), Don Quijote, Made in Romania, Hic sunt leones, Toujour l’amour. He also runs the Dan Puric Theater Company or Passe Partout, which performs on the theater house on Lipscani, in Bucharest's Old Town.

Dan Puric took his shows on the road, and went to countries all all over the world.  He also received many national awards, such as the UNITER annual award, as well as the UNESCO award for cultural development. He also starred in various Romanian movies and created shows that were broadcast on BBC Belfast Royal College, 3 SAT Frankfurt, RTL, Lausanne TV. Dan Puric is also an essayist writer who published works such as Who we are?, The beautiful man, Be dignified !

Gigi Caciuleanu was a famous dancer and choreographer who was born in 1947 in Bucharest. He studied ballet at the Choreography High School in Bucharest and, after his graduation he trained at the Balshoi Theater. After few years as the dancer at the National Opera in Bucharest, Gigi Caciuleanu he left Romania for Germany, and later he settled in France, at Nancy. He was a star dancer and manager at the Great Theater in Nancy, as well as manager of the National Choreography Centre in Rennes. In 1994 he created his own dancing company and after seven years he became manager at Chillean National Ballet. Gigi Caciuleanu received awards such as the International Ballet Competition in Varna (1971), the International Choreography Competition in Koln (1972), International Choreography Contest at Bagnolet, France (1974). He has been living in France since 1973.

Maia Morgenstern is famous actress who became known to the entire world after her appearance as Saint Mary’s character in the Mel Gibbson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ”. She was born in Bucharest in 1962 and graduated the “Film and Theater Academy of Bucharest” in 1985. She performed at the Youth theater in Piatra Neamt, as well as at the State Jewish Theater in Bucharest and from 1990 to 1998 at the National theater in Bucharest. Since 1998 she has been performing on the stage of the Bulandra Theater as well as at the Jewish theater in Bucharest. To the Romanian and international public she is better known for her film roles rather than for her theater performances. She appeared in several famous films, such as 'The Earth’s Most beloved Son” after the famous novel written by Marin Preda, in the French Romanian movie “Betrayal”, the English movie “Nostradamus”, the Hungarian movie about Edith Stein's life called “The Seventh room”, as well as in the well known and controversial “The Passion of the Christ”.

She has won several major awards as an actress, among which several UNITER prizes in Romania,  the Best Actress prize at the European Film Awards and at the Geneva Film Festival, as well as the Best Film Actress for: The Passion of the Christ (2004), Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards (EMMA Awards), UK.

By Mariana Ganea, Guest Writer