Last autumn, Ruslan launched a conversational interview series called “The Environment Around Me.” The guests of the series included well-known producers, prominent showmen, musicians, creatives and other cultural figures. This year, Ruslan returns with new guests, while the series has undergone conceptual changes and moved closer to the social genre. Each episode now features more dynamics, depth and expertise. The first guest of this season was former Vice Minister of Artificial Intelligence Dmitry Moon.
In June this year, Dmitry stepped down from his position as Vice Minister and continued his professional work as CEO of Q.AI, a company focused on the development, implementation and analysis of artificial intelligence in Kazakhstan. The relevance of artificial intelligence in our country is growing every day. Its practical application has already reached almost every area of public administration and the private sector, and this trend continues to gain momentum.
During an engaging and lively conversation, held in the form of a tour through the “Nur-Alem” sphere, Ruslan raised a wide range of topics that are both important and sensitive for society. Against the backdrop of the growing demand for AI, many people are undoubtedly interested in which specific professions artificial intelligence improves and which, on the contrary, it may displace from the labor market. How can we live with constantly evolving user experiences with AI, and what cybersecurity measures should every user know and apply?
And, of course, one of the important aspects of the conversation was the creative industries, where artificial intelligence has already become a significant tool for thousands of people working in this sector. But what awaits us in the future if AI is already here?
Watch Ruslan Kenzikeyev’s interview with Dmitry Moon on Ruslan’s official account. The full episode will also be available here, on dancehub.kz.

The wedding podcast is quickly finding its place in contemporary celebration programmes. The format began gaining attention in Kazakhstan at the end of summer, while the quieter autumn season gave organisers time to refine the idea for the year ahead. The DanceHub.kz team has already tested it twice and is ready to explain how it works. The podcast corner works best near the entrance to the banquet hall, close to the photo zone and welcome buffet. Recording inside the hall is more difficult: equipment is being checked, lighting and sound are being adjusted, and the service team is completing its final preparations. It is simply too noisy for a relaxed conversation. A small table, three microphones and a neat backdrop are enough to create the studio. Guests arrive, take commemorative photographs, enjoy the buffet and are then invited to record a short story about the newlyweds.

In the first part of our organiser's advice, we explained why a wedding welcome buffet deserves careful attention. Its appearance and presentation shape the first impression of the evening. Now it is time to consider the final touch: the tradition known as Keter Ayaq or Zhol Ayaq. This small ritual takes place at the end of the celebration. Sometimes it uses the same table that held the welcome buffet earlier in the evening. In an alcohol-free celebration, the tradition can be reinterpreted while preserving its most important purpose: seeing guests off with warmth, care and hospitality. The bride has thrown her bouquet, the band has taken the stage, and the second dance interval reflects the newlyweds' own musical taste. The first interval may have featured familiar favourites for the parents' friends and older guests, while the later programme becomes younger and more energetic.

Imagine being invited to a wedding and asked to buy a ticket for 20,000-25,000 tenge. The price includes your seat, the menu, drinks, a host and live entertainment. There is just one surprising detail: you know neither the people at your table nor the names of the newlyweds. The bride and groom may not have met before the evening either. This is the idea behind “NOT a Wedding”, a themed party already appearing in selected cities across Europe and the CIS. From the outside, it looks like a real celebration, complete with a welcome buffet, decorations, dinner, toasts and dancing. Its purpose, however, is not marriage. It is designed for conversation, new connections and an unusual cultural experience. Modern city life offers too few natural and comfortable ways for adults to meet. Social media helps people stay connected, but it cannot always replace a face-to-face conversation. “NOT a Wedding” provides a familiar structure in which strangers can introduce themselves, exchange experiences and spend an evening together without the awkwardness of formal networking.

A successful New Year corporate event begins long before December. Large companies often start planning in August, when HR managers research the market, compare suppliers and define the first requirements for the evening. Beginning early gives the team the freedom to choose rather than settle for whatever remains available at the end of the season. It is possible to source a venue, host, performers, decorators and technical crew independently, but doing so requires considerable time and experience. Companies therefore often entrust the project to a professional event agency responsible not only for suppliers but also for the overall logic of the occasion. An event agency is more than an intermediary between a client and performers. It acts as project coordinator, script team, venue administrator and crisis manager on the day itself.

The Kazakh National Academy of Choreography has concluded an intensive programme for a delegation from Tokyo's Yoshiko Takagi Ballet School. Twenty-two students and four teachers travelled to Astana to explore Kazakhstan's approach to choreographic education, work with the Academy's leading teachers and exchange professional experience. The Japanese guests followed a focused educational programme. Young dancers took part in masterclasses in classical and folk-stage dance and worked on classical variations drawn from the world's ballet repertoire. Each class offered more than technical practice. It also allowed the students to view familiar elements through a different teaching tradition. For young artists, this kind of exchange broadens their professional outlook and encourages closer attention to every detail of stagecraft.