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which were educated in the best universities of the world for himself, bought Georgian national costume (chokha-
and they started the widest educational activities, because akhalukhi) with the money he earned by himself and his
they were well aware of the importance of education dance thus became more refined. He gained fame and was
for the nation, unity of the national peculiarities and the often invited to dance parties, and at one of such parties
European knowledge. Despite the fiercest resistance they a renowned Georgian writer Aleksandre Kazbegi saw him.
formed different cultural societies, fought against remnants The writer liked him very much and promised to give him
of the old, which the metropolis wanted to preserve so some lessons. It was his good luck, because Al. Kazbegi
much, because they understood well that it was far easier was considered to be incomparable performer of Georgian
to manage uneducated people. That was why one after dances. Aleksi refined his dance so much that it enabled
another different societies were formed “The society for him to appear on the ballet scene and so, a young performer
spreading literacy among Georgians”, “The historical and participated in the operas “Demon” and “Ruslan and
ethnographic society”, “The dramatic society”, and etc. Lyudmila” with a Georgian dance. In 1907 he even danced
with Maria Perini “Kartuli” (the Georgian dance). However,
before that, in 1895, Aleksidze left for Paris at the Russian
ITALIANS IN GEORGIA ethnographic exhibition, where he most successfully danced
“Kartuli”, “Baghdaduri” and “Khanjluri”. It is clear that neither
Just that time people arrived to Tbilisi, which played of these dances were a sample of the Russian folklore. But
enormously important role in development of the Georgian the nature of great empires is such – what they occupied,
ballet. They were Abdol Innocenzo and a bit later, Maria seized by force, they thought to be their legal property.
Perini. In 1895 they opened a school, where they taught They irritate much, when are reminded that whatever they
ballroom and characteristic dances. However, this school captured was not their loot, and that the looted were happy
was not so much significant, as it would become in 1916, and were thirsty to identify their own cultural achievement,
about which we’ll talk below. But, just at that time, on the and that was why the effort of Aleksidze to present his
public area appeared a man, who largely contributed to Georgian national costume and Georgian national dances
development of the Georgian national choreographic art at the international arena irritated the government very
– Aleksi Aleksidze (1874-1934). His real name was Aleksi much. However, Aleksidze paid no attention to this and in
Songhulashvili. He was born in a poor worker’s family and 1902 he opened the so-called “School of Asian Dances”,
it seemed nothing was happening in his family that could for which he received the governor’s permit. It seems that
stimulate him to become a professional dancer and promote a state official of such a high rank did not know (or was not
his appearance on the ballet scene. But his fate decided so. interested to know) that Georgia was neither geographically
Aleksi became orphan early and he was still quite young nor mentally Asia. The main thing was that this man, who did
when he communicated with Lezghins living in Tbilisi and not have special education, through his intuition, along with
studied from them not only to sew boots, but to dance as the school formed methodology, elaborated details of dance
well. Dance became his passion and he danced everywhere, costumes, was first to stress attention on the fact that the
emotionally and with excitement. He danced in the yards dance, called “Lekuri” no one knows why, should regain its
and houses of Tbilisi. He was quite young, when he started name – “Kartuli”. His students were such masters of dance, 43
to earn his living by dance. He sawed soft dance boots as Anton Chikhladze, Giorgi Aleksidze, Nikoloz Sikharulidze,