Page 16 - wigni - Copy

and dance episodes of operas. Production practice assisted students either. Everyone remembers up to the present day
the students to get used to the stage, to orientate in the and tell as a legend the love story of Ketevan Nadareishvili.
large stage and to communicate with the audience, taught Her only crime was her love to the English sailor. Their
them go back to the stage for a bow of thanks in case of wedding was to be arranged soon, but the young most
applauds. talented ballerina was called to the fierce Interior Committee,
Perini’s thinking was spatial and she was well aware where they demanded her to write to her bridegroom that
that it was impossible to rely only on her own self, as she refuses to marry him. When she firmly refused, she was
permanent advance was required, study experience of exiled for seven years, which was much less than 10-15
others. She herself kept sharing new knowledge, new years – a standard term of punishment of that period for the
artistic achievements during her guest tours. Unfortunately, “people’s enemies” and members of their families. One can
the Soviet Union was not the country, which would send easily imagine how ruined the former happy bride and the
with pleasure its citizens abroad. If it did so, a great chance young woman full of creative thoughts returned from exile.
existed to declare the person a spy on his or her return, Unfortunately, there were thousands who never returned.
and it was easy to understand what could follow. It was a After some time Sandro Akhmeteli and the martyr knights of
good luck for those people who were not victims to such his cast were executed, also Evgeni Mikeladze, a talented
accusations. However, after the 1960-70s this pressure conductor, and as it was said his ears were pierced with
was a bit released and that period is known as “Ottepel” the iron bars; just right in the Writers’ House building Paolo
(warming). But still in the 1930-40s no one was able to Iashvili committed suicide. Titsian Tabidze and Mikheil
break through “The Iron Gate”. Therefore, Perini tried Javakhishvili were lost. Life seemed to perish in Tbilisi,
to arrange meetings of the School students with the best because the people who gave life to it were no longer seen
teachers of the then Russian ballet school. The School anywhere.
young teachers often went to the then Leningrad (today Despite overall fear, the School continued its life. Maria
this city gained back the name St Petersburg, as its founder Perini firmly resisted the existing condition. But who knows
Peter the Great named it). Artistic meetings with Agrippina – when she invited David Javrishvili to the School as a
Vagankova, Andrei Lopukhin, Natalya Kamkova and their teacher and appointed him to the position of Head of the
lessons attended by the young teachers were successfully School, she thus tried to save the School with her diplomatic
used by them on their return in training their students. step of this – if the School was not connected with her name,
In Georgia the theatrical life was rich and flourishing. probably, she could save it from closing and the possibility
Landmark performances were being staged in the Rustaveli will be given to continue work.
Theater, new novels were being written, and the samples of Such is Maria Perini’s largest contribution not only
the greatest XX century Georgian lyrics were formed. The to the Georgian ballet, but to the Georgian art in general.
Tbilisi citizens were impatiently waiting for the performances, But the terror of 1937 did not spare her. No personalities
directed by Kote Marjanishvili, Sandro Akhmeteli, new existed for this terror; it just tried to suppress the individuals,
verses by Paolo Iashvili, Galaktion Tabidze, Titsian Tabidze; to make the entire country a grey dull mass; if anyone did
appearance of conductor Evgeni Mikeladze. At the same not obey this, should be ruined. Perini was a personality
48 time, the fatal 1037 was coming along with the state terror, and so first her second husband artist Henry Grinevski was
which was not avoided by the Choreographic School and its executed and then she was simply ousted from Georgia,