Georgian Dancers Depict Ethnic Traditions

The Georgian State Dance Company of the U.S.S.R. is very much a family affair for director/choreographer Tenghiz Sukhishvili, who began dancing with the 75-member troupe at 14. This came quite naturally, since his father, Illiko Sukhishvili, and mother, Nina Ramishvili, were its founders in 1945.

The elder Sukhishvili died in 1985 but Ramishvili continues to play an active role in the company--choreographing, teaching and conducting rehearsals. Tenghiz’s wife also dances with the company, and a third generation is now involved, since their son and daughter have also joined its ranks.

“I am continuing the work my parents started,” says Sukhishvili, who has been choreographing since 1972. “They traveled a lot around the country to many villages and visited all the major events where there was dancing: weddings, holiday celebrations. They would choose the best of the Georgian dances and present them on stage, trying to make them more attractive for an audience.”

Georgia, one of the republics within the Soviet Union, has been described as that nation’s version of California. Situated in the south, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and sharing a border with Turkey, it has a mild, Mediterranean climate. Citrus trees flourish and there are mountainous areas in the Caucasus.

While Georgia has its own strong identity--Georgians have a reputation for pride and strength, as well as longevity--it also encompasses 18 regions of great diversity. And it is that diversity that the Georgian State Dance Company will display in its program (July 5 to July 17 at the Pantages Theater).

“Each region has its own dances, which are typical of only that part of Georgia,” explains Sukhishvili, speaking through an interpreter.

“They are very different from each other in terms of character, point of view and style. There is more of an Oriental than a European influence; in previous centuries, a main trade route between Europe and Oriental countries and India passed through Georgia.”

Although both of Sukhishvili’s parents had extensive backgrounds in classical ballet (in her youth Ramishvili performed with the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Company), the company they founded does not incorporate ballet technique in its training or its choreography, Sukhishvili points out.

At the troupe’s school, founded 15 years ago by the elder Sukhishvili, students train in character dancing, folk dances of the different Soviet republics as well as those of other nations, and also cultivate gymnastics and acrobatic skills to enhance their stamina.

At the school, the course of study for the boys is completely different from that of the girls, just as in all the dances that the company performs, men and women dance in clearly different styles and are not supposed to touch.

“We’ve tried to maintain that tradition, since it dates back to Georgian dances from much earlier centuries,” notes Sukhishvili.

The company’s women wear elegant long gowns and maintain a decorous, stately air. They specialize in gliding movements and upper-body articulation. The men are noted for elevation and agility as well as for swift, intricately timed sword and saber dances. Some men also perform a type of toe work that is a Georgian specialty.

Although Sukhishvili reports that the dances he encounters when he travels around Georgia today are not significantly changed from those his parents found in earlier decades, the dances the company performs have evolved.

“Greater professional skill and imagination make the company’s dances today more complex and more beautiful,” he says. “We are trying to be very careful and keep a proper proportion of both elements: a base of pure folk dance and the material we add ourselves to make it more attractive for an audience.”

The duration of the individual dances has become shorter in comparison with the company’s earlier performances, because Sukhishvili feels the briefer presentation is more appealing and also allows for a more varied program.

As a state company, Sukhishvili’s troupe is entirely subsidized by the government and has been provided with excellent facilities. “The Ministry of Culture and the government pay a lot of attention not only to our company but also to preserving all the folk traditions,” he says.

“This is true in music and literature as well as dance. And it is typical of all the governments of the different republics: Keeping traditions alive is an important priority.”

The Georgian State Dance Company has always toured extensively. Sukhishvili now counts 78 countries in which it has performed; it also has an annual appearance in Moscow. The company’s last appearance in the United States was in 1960; in 1976, a smaller contingent took part in a festival of Soviet folk dance.

“Until recently, we had a limit of three months per year on touring abroad,” says Sukhishvili. “Now, in the new era of glasnost and perestroika we have the opportunity to travel as much as we can. So we are able to accept invitations for longer periods of time.”