The Cornell Concert Series presents the Georgian State Dance Company in concert Thursday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m. in Bailey Hall on campus. The company's first ever visit to Ithaca is part of a tour of the United States that has drawn rave reviews noting the company's technical virtuosity, athletic feats and colorful costumes.
"There is certainly plenty of vigor in ... the Georgian State Dance Company," wrote a New York Times reviewer, "but this admirable ensemble also emphasizes elegance, and its dancers and musicians never fail to communicate a love of their homeland, the Republic of Georgia on the Black Sea."
The dances are divided by origin and content into ritual and ceremonial, work, game and comic dances as well as solo, pair and group dances. The women in the company have perfected an effortless gliding motion that makes it seem as if they are levitating, while the men rise up on the toes of their soft leather boots, stately and totally balanced, sometimes undertaking leaps and midair turns that land them full force on bent knees.
The company is directed by Tengiz Sukhishvili. His mother, Nina Ramishvili, founder of the company in the 1930s with her husband, Iliko, remains the chief choreographer. She says: "When you see the dancers on stage, you will realize how demanding we are. We will never accept less than their best."
Tickets for the concert -- ranging from $21 to $34 for adults and $13 to $20 for students -- are on sale at the at the Willard Straight Hall ticket office, 255-3430, and at the ticket center at Clinton House, 116 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, 273-4497 or 800-284-8422. Tickets also are available from the Cornell Concert Series web site at www.arts.cornell.edu/ccs. Student Rush tickets (subject to availability) for $5 will be on sale Nov. 19 and 20.
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