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Ioseb Kavtaradze, David Chikvaidze, Mikheil Sulkhanishvili in any branch of art depending on the talent, skill and wish of
and the legend of the Georgian dance, one of the founders one personality. Training of the national ballet dancers was
of the Georgian State Ensemble – Iliko Sukhishvili. But shouldered by two Italians Abdol Innocenzo and Maria Perini
this is not a main thing either. Aleksi Aleksidze, probably, (let the destiny keep them blessed!). One was a soloist of La
even without setting such a purpose, spent his entire life Scala and the other – of Turin Royal Theater. Details of their
to save the Georgian folk dance folklore. Georgians have love and wedding are not known, but taking into consideration
one characteristic trait – they easily adopt and adapt to the Italian temperament and passion enable us to suppose.
foreign culture. Sometimes they do this so well that forget However, we do really know that the Choreographic School
their own culture. Vorontsov’s trick – what irritated so much started its first steps in Griboedov Street. This happened on
Moscow and St Petersburg “Georgians failed to forget their 26 September, in 1895. The statement stressed that Abdol
“aboriginal” entertainments and we should replace them Innocenzo was teacher of dancing in all the educational
somehow by something else” succeeded. Tbilisi residents establishments existing in Tbilisi and no wonder that almost
were so much charmed with Polka, Mazurka, Waltz and entire Tbilisi “rushed” to his School. It should be said that
other European ballroom dances that “completely forgot” in the newly-built Opera Theater the guest performances
their dances “Samaya”, “Kartuli” and “Davluri”. And the of world-renowned art workers were held quite often. For
Russian administration with great pleasure promoted this. example, Matilda Kshesinskya, who fascinated the audience
Aleksidze once more called Georgians, reminded them and not only by her dance, but also by her amazing beauty and
made them see how wonderful the Georgian dance was, womanly charm, through which she managed to gain hearts
which was in no way less than other European dances, how of the high-rank first officials of the Russian Empire; Olga
graceful the Georgian national costumes were, how finely Preobrazhenskaya, who had the greatest artistic talent;
they suited Georgians. The Georgian costumes proved refined and exquisite Tamara Karsavina; airy and virtuoso
national identification, didn’t they?! Great Georgian theater Ekaterina Gelzer; reformer of the Russian ballet and always
director Sandro Akhmeteli, executed in 1937, was severely moving against the flow Mikhail Fokine, etc. This did not
criticized just for this – he was accused of having many mean that the Tbilisi citizens, which managed to pay quite
Georgian national costumes on the stage, in the performance much for the dance classes of Innocenzo and tickets of guest
“Anzor”. With directness, characteristic to him, Akhmeteli performances, saw their children (mostly, their daughters)
answered his critics thus: “If the Russian “kosovortka” is just on the stage, but the charge and energy of the art of
not an expression of Nationalism, then why the Georgian these great dancers filled them with enthusiasm. The
“chokha” is Nationalism”. We cited this example to remind Innocenzo’s School was no longer sufficient for the inflow of
the readers what barriers Georgians had to overcome to wishers. We could not say either that this School educated
preserve the national identity. the ballet professional dancers. The basis for the process
Therefore, we should consider that Aleksi Aleksidze of educating the future ballet masters was laid from 1916,
with his creative activity promoted revival of the Georgian when Maria Perini opened a private choreographic school
national dance folklore and this was an act of national (we met less A. Innocenzo’s name, mostly Perini’s name
heroism on his part. was mentioned). In 1919, i.e. when the Bolsheviks came to
44 In the history of Georgian art, time and again, the power and the short period of Georgia’s independence this
moments appear, when the issue of “to be or not to be” rises establishment was transformed into the state school. This