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an artistic personage. Only thus penetrating, realistically that the totalitarian precipice would soon devour him and
motivated and emotionally charged dance is established. therefore, he wanted to leave his will to Chabukiani’s home
country, as the ideal in art and devoted to art. The word
“national” repeated twice penetrated into the soul of the
VAKHTANG dancer and his mind. And love for his home country became
THE NAME WHICH NEEDS NO SURNAME an artistic motto for him. Georgia saw in him the national
hero, a fairytale youth, and Chabukiani faithfully fulfilled this
David Javrishvili headed the School for 10 years and will, maybe even unconsciously.
when on 3 April 1951 Vakhtang Chabukiani replaced him After the Tbilisi first night of A. Balanchivadze’s ballet
on this position, the School students and teachers were “Heart of the Mountains” Chabukiani finally stayed in his
already ready to settle the tasks set by Chabukiani for the home country. The great artist triumphantly toured the United
Georgian ballet. States of America and could continue his dazzling career,
Vakhtang Chabukiani was connected most closely with but he chose the hardest way of forming the Georgian ballet
the Choreographic School. History of his first appearance theater. He put all his knowledge, talent, organizational skills
in the School resembles a fairytale of Hoffman or Andersen and his fame into this.
and seems a bit fantastic, and his leaving is like a sad For several years V. Chabukiani prepared the theater
fairytale. Professor Eteri Gugushvili, rector of the Institute of troupe to continue work and to implement his idea of the
Theater, perfect expert of ballet, tells about V. Chabukliani Georgian ballet productions after “Heart of the Mountains”.
in her book. Chabukiani became orphan in his early This ballet performance became some touchstone.
childhood and still very little he had to earn his living to Chabukiani managed and adjusted to each other the
take care of his family. And one really fine evening, a little moves of Georgian and classical dance. He understood
courier brought from the sweets shop to the Perini School a the need for perfect training of the new generation and their
basket full of sweets. That evening a Christmas concert was refinement so that they would be able to perform classical
on in the School. They left him to attend the concert and dances. In this respect the work was ongoing in parallel.
forever the little boy “was poisoned” with the ballet. If the Vakhtang Chabukiani staged himself and brought from
participants of that concert knew who came to them, they the Leningrad stage or realized his own versions of such
would preserve the sweets for a souvenir and would ask ballet performances as: “Don Quixote”, “The Swan Lake”.
the boy for his autograph. They would be proud and would “Bayadera”, and “The Sleeping Beauty”. He was well aware
tell their children about their first meeting with Chabukiani. that it was impossible to fully eradicate all the defects (in
Vakhtang Chabukiani started to study at the School and case they existed) of the already established dancers, and
later continued his studies at the Leningrad Choreographic that was why he thought it far better from the very first years
School. After that he did not arrive to Tbilisi for a long time. of study to bring up the future dancers so that the purposes
After 1935 tour much excited Sandro Akhmeteli wrote about and tasks of the choreographer could be fully satisfied.
Chabukiani:”Chabukiani is our national pride… He has a In addition to special subjects Chabukiani brought in new
brilliant future of the greatest, genial artist and will be the subjects: dance of couples, piano lessons, rhythmics, fencing,
50 pride of the Georgian national culture”. With the bare nerve historical-everyday dances. The Georgian ballet troupe
characteristic to a great art worker, Sandro Akhmeteli felt members, before Chabukiani came to the School, were