Northrop Presents The State Ballet Of Georgia Online Premiere

The State Ballet of Georgia will premiere a new dance film created specifically for Northrop audiences on Sat, Mar 20.

Premiering nearly a year after the company had been slated to perform during Northrop's 2019-20 Season, which was partially canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this online performance was created through a partnership with Northrop and features ballet repertory, interviews with featured company members, and footage of the State Opera and Ballet Theatre and city of Tbilisi, Georgia. This online event will be available on demand through Sun, Mar 28.

Established in 1935, The State Ballet of Georgia was created to serve as the resident ballet company of the Georgian Opera and Ballet Theater in Tbilisi. Since its creation, the company has grown to one of the leading large dance ensembles originating during the former Soviet Union Era. Currently under the direction of Nina Ananiashvili, the State Ballet of Georgia tours internationally yet is not often seen in the United States.

This online performance was conceived as a way to bring the magic of The State Ballet of Georgia to Northrop audiences, despite the ongoing complications stemming from COVID-19. The ballet repertoire featured in the film will include Laurencia, choreographed by Vakhtang Chabukiani, a famed choreographer born in Tbilisi, Sagalobeli, a 2007 ballet choreographed to Georgian folk melodies that was originally to be part of the repertoire performed at Northrop in the spring of 2020, Leonid Lavrovsky's Romeo and Juliet, Les Sylphides, and Giselle.

In addition to ballet repertoire, the film will also feature interviews with the company's famed Artistic Director Nina Ananiashvili, as well as selected dancers from the company. Footage of the State Opera and Ballet Theatre and city of Tbilisi, Georgia, will also be highlighted alongside the history of these notable sites.

Director Nina Ananiashvili took the helm at the State Ballet of Georgia in 2004, in addition to performing with the company. Ananiashvili moved back to Tbilisi, where she had not lived since she was 13 years old, to direct the company at the request of Georgia's president at the time, Mikheil Saakashvili. Ananiashvili inherited a company with "deplorable conditions, no electricity, few supplies - and no pay for the dancers." Ananiashvili's renown and friends across the ballet world, cultivated from years performing as prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre, allowed her to attract the best choreographers and dancers, and to establish a new era for the company. The State Ballet of Georgia has grown to become a world-class, internationally acclaimed company.

To order tickets, visit Northrop's website or call the Box Office at 612-624-2345. Box Office hours are noon-5:00 pm Mon-Fri. Live-stream tickets are only $25 per household. Many other discounts are available. The performance is available on demand through Sun, Mar 28.

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