Georgian National Ballet Sukhishvili to perform in New York

The Georgian National Ballet Sukhishvili will visit New York this month, opening at Carnegie Hall on Jan. 17 with 60 dancers and live music, followed by a smaller, cabaret-style show called “Assa” on Jan. 18 at the Brooklyn Monarch in Williamsburg. Georgian dance, with roots described as far back as the fourth century B.C.

by the historian Xenophon, is known for fiery leaps, sudden drops to the knees, swordplay, spinning jumps and men dancing on the tips of their toes. Nino Sukhishvili, the company’s director, said in a video call from Tbilisi that “Georgian dance, it’s not only dance. It is a reflection of our traditions and our history.

It’s part of our dignity.” The Sukhishvili troupe, founded after World War II by Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili, combined folk movements collected from villages with ballet technique to create a theatrical national genre. Brooklyn has become an outpost for Georgian dance, with community schools such as Pesvebi and Dancing Crane drawing children — including many boys — and teaching in Georgian.

The company runs six schools in Georgia that the director said serve 10,000 students, and its summer performances near Tbilisi are described as packed.

Key Topics

Culture, Georgian National Ballet, Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Monarch, Tbilisi, Nino Sukhishvili