PRESS

They have come from far-off Colchis, the land of Medea and the Golden Fleece, from present-day Georgia. They have come here to show us their thousand-year-old national traditions. Gold embroidery has been lavishly worked on to the women's costumes, which seem to have come to us from legends about pure and innocent princesses, whose mantles, like in the 15th century, are crowned with precious diadems. While white is the dominating color of the women's dress, black is worm by the men. Their suits are ornamented with silver and they wear soft Asian leather boots. Songs of different genre make way for marvelous dances, showing original rhythm and virtuoso execution. The women dancers, reserved in their movements, glide as smoothly as swans. Each movement is the symbol of Good. Their stately partners with their leonine deportment perform miracles on their toes, a characteristic feature of men's dances. Each movement is an effusion of their courageous nature. The final "Fantasy" sends the audience into raptures no less than those evoked by the "Sable Dance". Their arms clash with a fiery temperament, illuminating the stage with splutters of sparks. A petrifying effect. The male choir infuses this highly emotional dance with a poetic serenity. Nine singers offer us a marvelously rich musical art - a cycle of serenades and doleful melodies with their magic "pianissimo", patriotic and majestically imposing songs of antique resounding in a powerful "forte". Georgian folk music leaves an indelible impression. This is the genuine traditional art lacking neither in color nor in originality. We have been witnesses to a bight performance full of creative energy.