FGB’s Scholarship Presentation & Gala Concert Held at Griboedov
On October 25, the Friends of the Georgian Ballet’s scholarship presentation and performance by the Vakhtang Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School was held at the Griboedev Theater. The reception was held in the bar of the theater and included both the presentation of a fundraising gift by Andreas Heidingsfelder, GM of Sheraton Hotel, and the scholarship presentation itself.
The representatives of the Friends of Georgian Ballet and Georgian Prima-ballerina Nina Ananiashvili herself, awarded the successful young students of the V. Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School with certificates and scholarships.
The award ceremony was followed by the joint gala concert of the Chabukiani School and Tokyo International Ballet School.
The students of V. Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School have recently claimed yet another international success and made the fans of Georgian ballet happy: from October 4 to October 8, 2018, they participated in an international ballet competition held in Sibiu, Romania. Student Nita Lomidze (VI class) claimed first place in contemporary dances; students Sesili Guguchia, Mariam Lekishvili, Nino Qartvelishvili, Sofio Kandelaki, and Anastasia Coconava (VI class), took first place in group dances;
student Mari Lomjaria (VIII class) took second place in classical variation, and student Sopo Nachkebia (VIII class) took fourth place.
Since 2007, the Friends of Georgian Ballet (FGB) and Nina Ananiashvili have annually awarded the talented and successful students of the Vakhtang Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School with certificates and scholarships. Additionally, they allocate scholarships for the socially vulnerable students of the choreographic school. FGB and Ananiashvili award the students of the school with pointe shoes, dance costumes and accessories.
According to the Head of Training Practice of V. Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School, Ketevan Motsonelidze, the collaboration between Japanese and Georgian ballet schools significantly contributes to the development of Georgian ballet:
“Today’s performance sees both Japanese and Georgian ballet school students. We often have exchange programs, with the students of our school performing in Japan, and the Japanese ballet school students coming to Georgia and holding concerts. This relationship itself significantly contributes to the development of Georgian ballet,” she said.
“The Friends of Georgian Ballet, consisting of Georgian and foreign fans of ballet, awards our young and promising students with certificates and scholarships,” said Nina Ananiashvili. “It is thanks to our friends’ great contribution that we have an opportunity to send our students abroad to participate in various ballet competitions held in countries all over the world. They perform at these foreign festivals and claim gold medals, grand prizes and more. They are successful in all kinds of competitions, be it an individual performance or group dances. It significantly contributes to raising awareness about Georgian ballet internationally, and we are very grateful to them. Every year, our students go to Japan and participate in various competitions and performances together with their Japanese fellows. This year, 26 students of the Chabukiani School visited Japan. Today, we have Japanese guests here, within the frames of our exchange programs, and they will perform on the stage of Griboedov Theater together with Georgian students. It is especially important that our students perform on the big stages and professionally improve themselves, and it is very pleasant for spectators to watch talented and promising children’s performances as well, a result of the hard work conducted by our choreographers and young students.”
Yonen Takano, Japanese Principal Dancer, expressed his delight in working with Nina Ananiashvili and noted that collaboration with the Georgian ballet dancers is both pleasant and fruitful for the Japanese side. In 2015, Takano danced the leading part with Nina Ananiashvili in the ballet Le Spectre de la Rose by Mikhail Fokine.
“The Japanese audience is strongly impressed by Nina’s performance, as she is a truly amazing dancer. Now we have an exchange program with Georgia, and our Japanese students are performing here. They have been working with Nina, a big achievement and a great opportunity and honor for the young generation, for the future ballerons and ballerinas,” Takano noted.
Young ballerina of the Vakhtang Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School, Sopho Tsintsadze, participated in the joint performance together with her Japanese fellows.
“We are holding this gala concert for our Japanese guests. Every year, we visit each other’s countries and hold various performances. For me, performing on the Griboedev Theater stage is very important as it makes me especially happy and proud. We have been well-trained by our choreographers for future success. It is thanks to their great contribution that today we are successful in Georgia and abroad as well. Mrs. Nina always helps and motivates us, we love her so much and appreciate her work,” Tsintsadze told reporters.
The Friends of Georgian Ballet, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2006 with the aim to support the initiatives of the State Ballet of Georgia and contribute to the development of the Georgian ballet under the artistic directorship of Nina Ananiashvili.
The membership fees of the Friends of the Georgian Ballet provide funding for scholarships for promising young ballet students at the V. Chabukiani Choreographic School and participation by specially selected members of the Ballet Company in prestigious ballet competitions and master classes held in various countries worldwide.
By Ana Dumbadze