- Sort by
- Date
Feel free to add tags, names, dates or anything you are looking for
Feel free to add tags, names, dates or anything you are looking for
Tamara Toumanova always longed to visit Georgia, the homeland of her mother, whose family name she carried with pride throughout her life. She came into the world in unusual circumstances: her mother, Evgenia Tumanishvili, was traveling to Vladivostok in distant Siberia to join her husband, Konstantin Zakharov, a doctor of the Caucasian Military District. Tamara was born in a train carriage on the way on March 2, 1919.
One evening in the 1860s, in Tbilisi, Iakob Gogebashvili and Niko Tskhvedadze met at the home of Georgian writer and public figure Ioseb Mamatsashvili. Such evenings were common among Georgian families at the time, serving as an excellent opportunity for open discussions about the country's future. Yet, under the rule of the Russian Empire, they had little hope for change.
Shimmering glass, soft colors, silvery surfaces and distinctive packaging. Twelve Christmas tree ornaments, carefully placed in boxes of deep burgundy—the color of the state flag of the First Republic of Georgia—bore an engraved inscription: “Christmas is Coby.” Through this emotionally charged brand message, their creator, a Georgian immigrant, wished Americans a Merry Christmas.
In 1973, director Giorgi Shengelaia made the first Georgian musical, Melodies of Vera Quarter. The film tells the story of two young sisters, Tamro and Maro, who dream of learning to dance but cannot afford the opportunity. However, in the old, historic Vera district of Tbilisi, they meet a kind-hearted laundress named Vardo, who helps the orphaned girls to pursue their dream. On Christmas Eve, Vardo stirs up such a commotion in the neighborhood that it almost leads to a full-blown uprising. At the heart of these events is an Italian couple who run the Vera District dance class.
Mariam Aleksidze was a soloist of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater troupe when she presented her first one-act ballet premiere to the audience. Afterwards, we spoke about the notion of the choreographer, her visions for the future, the possibilities of chamber ballet development in Tbilisi, and of course about her father – the prominent choreographer Giorgi Aleksidze, to whom the novice choreographer’s first staged ballet was dedicated. Mariam said that while her father was still alive, she promised to follow in his footsteps.
Ivane Javakhishvili, the rector of Tbilisi University, had stated his viewpoint about such an evasive measure in mid-February, and Ekvtime Takaishvili, his friend and the university’s founder, echoed it: "If the treasure is not hidden, the Bolsheviks will steal everything; we know very well what they did to Georgian churches."
Filimon agreed: "They came, they sang, I converted the chants into notes; I sang, and I also played the chants on the piano. Then they became convinced that Georgian chants could be transcribed into notes," was how he recalled the story of that first meeting, news of which spread rapidly throughout Georgia.
.jpg)
The very first of Giorgi Aleksidze's performances with the Chamber Ballet already involved daring statements, inappropriate and bold steps that were incompatible with Soviet ideology. Through Chamber Ballet, the innovative choreographer Giorgi Aleksidze offered a new style and form.
The history of Georgian antiquities that are kept in various museums around the world is fascinating. It is mostly connected with the period when Russia abolished the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. The stolen treasure was worth tens of millions of rubles. Among other items, the enamel medallions stolen from the Jumati Monastery icons have a particular aesthetic value.
It is now the 18th season that prima ballerina Nino Ananiashvili has been head of the ballet troupe of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre.
In the 1950s, an interview with George Balanchine was printed in one of the issues of the magazine ‘America,’ which was published in Russian language for Soviet readers. Among those who read it was his brother, the composer Andria Balanchivadze.
Chabukiani was nine years old when he was asked to bring Christmas tree decorations from the Chevalier art workshop to Maria Perini’s ballet studio. At that time, he did not even have a primary education.
.jpg)
The main square of the Georgian capital, now referred to as the Freedom Square, has been the center-stage for major dramatic events from the recent history. Back when the Russian 11th Red Army Corps staged a parade to celebrate invasion of Georgia, the square looked completely different—with merchant Tamamshev’s caravanserai at its center. On April 12, 1851, this Mauritanian-style building became home to the first opera house in the Caucasus.