Georgian Folk Dances
"All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing" said Moliere once.
Havelock Ellis remarked that "Dancing is the loftiest, most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life: IT IS LIFE ITSELF!"
Still others believe that "Any problem in the world can be solved by dancing." This may sound a little overbearing, but I am certain that dancing brings happiness and peace to the soul for at least the longevity of the performance. Why? Because, it is "the only art form where the artist is also the medium of expression."
You may wonder why do I make such strong statements about dancing. It is because I had dedicated half of my life to Georgian Folk dancing. For me, dancing was not just another extracurricular activity. It was my life. I strongly believed that I was born to dance. Unfortunately, life took me away from a dancing career. However, the love of dancing, especially Georgian Folk Dancing, still remains in my heart.
Now, without much more ado, I would like to introduce to you the art of Georgian Folk dancing. These breathtaking and absolutely awesome dances represent a live history book expressing the centuries of Georgian art, culture, and tradition. Georgian Folk dances are not very famous around the world, but their magnificence and the beauty cannot be forgotten by anyone who sees it. Many times have Georgian dance groups, whether professional or amateur, mesmerized the world with the beauty. The beautiful costumes blend history and art in one single harmony. This, coupled with at times rough and technical movements, leaves the audience in total awe. Georgian Folk dances give immense pleasure to not only the audience, but to the dancers also. As a former dancer, I can say that every time I danced, I felt as free as a bird. At those moments, I knew that dancing could save the world.
Before we go into a detailed description of each dance, let me give you a general overview of the dances. Each dance portrays the life of the region in which it originated, and thus is diverse and unique. The mountain dances, such as Khevsuruli, Kazbeguri, or Mtiuluri, are sharply different from some valley dances—i.g. Acharuli and Davluri. The costumes are different for every dance and resemble the clothing of the past in different regions of Georgia. The costumes worn today for Georgian dances have been designed and perfected by Simon Virsaladze. Furthermore, the choreographic structure of many dances has been modified to fit the stage performance. Most of the modifications were born out of the choreographic genius of Nino Ramishvili and Iliko Sukhishvili (the founders of the Georgian State Dance Company).
To view each dance individually, please click on the name of the dance, or simply scroll down the window. here >>>
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