Romances

DANCING CRANE, Inc.
GEORGIAN PERFORMANCE ARTS

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Our company was formed in 1996. Under the name of Dancing Crane we have an extensive program of Georgian performance arts and classes in New York. Our aim is to promote Georgian arts and culture within the Georgian-American community and to provide programs that both strengthen the sense of identity for Georgians living here and present the best of Georgian culture to the general public. Our artists and instructors are professional dancers, musicians and theater artists trained in Georgia and now resident in New York. We incorporated in 1999 as a New York State 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation

Our work involves practicing, presenting and transmitting to others the living cultural legacy of the folk arts. All dances and music are performed with strict adherence to the traditions, evolved over centuries. At the same time our work is part of the living tradition and includes contemporary interpretations by traditional artists.

The director is long-time Warwick resident Victor Sirelson, formerly of the Aman Folk Ensemble of Los Angeles. The Dancing Crane Georgian Dance Theater is a result of his dream of bringing the beauty and wisdom of authentic and ancient traditions into the community and of building a bridge between this old culture and modern American society.

Dancing Crane includes the professional dance ensemble with choreographer Vladimer "Dato" Goderidze, the Mgzavruli Music Ensemble led by Vano Goderdzishvili, New York's first and only Georgian theater company - the "Georgian Theater of New York" with director and playwright Lia Bakhturidze Sirelson, and our children's choreographic ensemble "Pesvebi" with director and choreographer Shorena Barbakadze. Our school includes classes and performance in Georgian dance, music and theater. There are over 100 children in the classes and 35 performers in the professional companies.

Our Repertoire—Georgian Dances, Music and Theater

The small country of Georgia in the heart of the Caucasus region has developed a dance tradition which rivals classic ballet in its demanding and refined technique, but which has a style all its own, containing strength, elegance and graceful movement evolved over centuries. The music, played on traditional folk instruments is based on ancient modes which help distinguish the dances as among the most beautiful in the world. The company presents dances and songs in authentic costumes from all regions of Georgia. Performers excel in the virtuoso leaps, turns and especially the traditional tseruli or mens dancing on the toes. The repertoire includes Parikaoba mountain dances with swords, the elegant Osuri court dances, the ancient Samaya women's dance, the city dances of the Kinto and Karachokheli, the refined women's dances with elegant hand movements including Jeirani and Mukhambazi, as well as the regional folk dances such as those from Acharia and Svaneti. Songs and music represent all traditional Georgian genres, including folk music in the various local regional styles, church songs, city songs, romances and contemporary estrada as well as songs from the Georgian classic and opera repertoire. Music is performed on traditional instruments.

Georgian theater is an old and well-established art form. It is liberally spiced with music and dance and elements drawn from regional idiosyncrasies of the Georgian people. Unlike dances and music, theater is a form that is difficult to carry to a new country. Yet it fills a need in the cultural life of Georgians that cannot be replaced. We formed the Georgian Theater of New York with professional theater artists from Georgia in response to this need.

Focus

Our aim is to bring together audiences of all types with a vivid experience of traditional culture. Our concerts, workshops and presentations give a sense of living art, engaging children and adults of all levels of cultural awareness.
Our work is based on long years of experience in our art together with an active program of Music and Dance Research, Archiving, Recording and CD Production.

As an organization we are motivated by a commitment to improve the quality of life of our society. We aim to do this through the medium of Georgian traditional performance arts.Our broad vision integrates Georgian music, dance and theater with the developing cultural life of contemporary Georgian society in New York. This means an integration of Georgian culture as a participant in the greater cultural life of New York.We aim to be a bridge between Georgian traditions and American cultural life.Georgian traditions are ancient and contain a very deep understanding of values essential to a healthy life.There are songs and melodies specific to particular rituals in life, such as weddings, funerals, births and so forth.We aim to preserve these traditional ceremonies and bring them to life, touching the deepest sensibilities of people through the beauty embodied in these traditions.


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