Ensemble Rustavi Begins Japanese Tour

The Georgian State Folk Song and Dance Academic Ensemble "Rustavi" is holding a 50-year anniversary tour in Japan. The tour, which started in from Ichikawa (Chiba), includes 21 cities of Japan and involves 33 concerts.

On October 12, the first concert was a success that saw the Georgian folk group leave the 2400 spectators of the country of the rising sun surprised and excited. The final concert will be held on November 21 in the city of Osaka.

The Georgian State Folk Song and Dance Academic Ensemble was founded in 1968 by Anzor Erkomaishvili and his friends. At first the ensemble consisted only of singers. That same year, they were joined by a group of dancers and they have been working together ever since. Since its establishment, the ensemble has held more than 7000 concerts in over 80 countries around the world. The repertory of the ensemble includes dances and songs originating from almost every corner of Georgia.

The style of the singers as well as the dancers is traditional and preserves a historical color.

Ensemble "Rustavi" was awarded the Zakaria Paliashvili (1980), Albert Schweitzer (1986) and Georgian State (1999) prizes for special contribution to the popularization of Georgian folk songs.

By Ana Dumbadze