NEWS

          The National Ballet of Georgia Sukhishvili has performed in Kyiv several times before, but the upcoming show will be truly special. The ballet is celebrating a double anniversary this year: 100 years since the birth of one of its founders, Nino Ramishvili, and 65 years since the founding of the ballet itself.

           Also, Sukhishvili will bring 100 dancers to Kyiv this time instead of the usual 65. A special Anniversary Tour program will be staged in Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Italy and the USA.

           The National Ballet of Georgia was founded by Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili in 1945 and became the first officially known State Dance Ensemble of Georgia. Picking up dancing at the age of 14, Ramishvili was in love with classical ballet and traditional folk dances. Her husband Iliko worked for the Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi and wanted to show the rest of the Soviet Union what a unique and rich cultural heritage his country possessed. And so the two talented artists combined their efforts and created Georgia’s most renowned dance troupe.

          Today the dance ensemble is directed by the third Sukhishvili-Ramishvili generation. Over the years the group’s popularity has grown so much that it was named the best show on Broadway in 1990 and has become Georgia’s main business card in the world of culture.
 
          The National Ballet of Georgia is the only folk dance group to have been granted the privilege of performing at La Scala. In 2009, Sukhishvili dancers took part in the shooting of the Hollywood movie “Georgia” about the war between Russia and Georgia. Directed by Renny Harlin and starring such famous actors as Rupert Friend, Val Kilmer and Andy Garcia, the film is expected to be released in autumn.

Palace Ukraine(103 Chervonoarmiyska, 247-2316).
Feb 26-27, 7 p.m.Tickets from Hr 1,200.