The Future of Ballet in Georgia: Join the FGB!

The Friends of the Georgian Ballet held their annual Scholarship Awarding Ceremony and Reception at the Tbilisi Opera House on Sunday, December 3, seeing Prima Ballerina and Artistic Director of the State Ballet of Georgia, Nina Ananiashvili, with her Friends of Georgian Ballet colleagues and Company Soloists, present 16 talented new students of the V. Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art School one-year scholarships, including those sponsored by the Friends of the Georgian Ballet. Attendees were then treated to a heart-warming short performance by the students.

The Friends of the Georgian Ballet (FGB), a non-profit organization, was founded in 2006 with the aim of supporting the initiatives of the State Ballet of Georgia under the artistic directorship of Nina Ananiashvili and contributing to the development of ballet art in Georgia. It has over 200 members worldwide, the majority of whom are non-Georgian. The FGB is looking to expand its membership, especially within Georgian society, in order to be able to provide more for the future ballet stars, many of whom come from the regions of Georgia from disadvantaged families- having been head-hunted by Ananiashvili for their talent.

Enid Burki, FGB board member, whose husband works within the Swiss Embassy, has been here two years. “It is so touching to see the talent of these young people, some of whom are from disadvantaged families: it just begs supporting,” she told GEORGIA TODAY. “As a board member, I encourage guests and those living abroad to support this young Georgian talent by joining the FGB and coming to the performances. The more members the FGB has, the more scholarships we can give!”

Alied Douma, FGB Board Head, came to Georgia in 2015 as the wife of the Ambassador to the Netherlands in Georgia. She told us of the benefits of being an FGB member in exchange for the very worthy cause of supporting the ballet art in Georgia.

“Members of the FGB receive invitations to special exclusive events, such as after-show galas, the opportunity to get 4th row tickets in the theater at every ballet performance, the chance to participate in Q&A sessions with the ballet dancers, and exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences. We have some 200 members from the diplomatic corps, representatives of organizations and the business community in the FGB so far, providing ongoing support, some of whom no longer live in Georgia. It would be wonderful to have more Georgian members, supporting this initiative,” she noted.

Katie Ruth Davies