KeyBank Dance Series to Feature Georgian State Dance Company

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present the Georgian State Dance Company at 8 p.m. on Oct. 26 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. There will be a pre-performance talk at 7 p.m. The performance is sponsored by KeyBank.

Founded in 1945 in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, the Georgian State Dance Company is one of the greatest institutions in the field of Eastern European folk dance. Over the last six decades, they have performed for more than 50 million people in 87 countries.

From exploding airborne kicks and twirling sword fights to intricate toe steps, the elegance and originality of centuries-old Georgian folk dances come alive through the Georgian State Dance Company. The choreography is disciplined with military rigor, powerful and even startling, with dancers skittering across the stage on tiptoe without toe shoes, whirling around on their knees, and spinning high up into the air to land, almost unbelievably, on their toes, knees or shins. The acrobatic athleticism of the male dancers are a perfect counterpoint to the precise, swift, gliding steps of their female partners.

Georgia was known to many as the California of the former Soviet Union, a poetic land expressed in many ballads, poems, songs and dances. The beauty and originality of the Georgian folk dances is perhaps due to their ability to reflect so many different aspects of Georgian life. They are divided according to their origin and content into ritual and ceremonial, work, game and comic dances. The advent of Christianity to Georgia in the first half of the 4th Century and, at the same time, the survival of paganism in certain remote mountain districts, have similarly had an influence on Georgian folk dances.

In form, Georgian dances are divided into solo, pair and group. Each dancer has to subordinate to the requirements of a common plan and its expression in the dance. At the same time, the performers do not lose their individuality, since several dances demand competition between partners in strength, agility, elevation and bold movements.

The male dancers can also boast a highly original technique for, unlike any other dancers in the world, they dance on their toes without the aid of "block" shoes. In the women's dances, in contrast to classical ballet, dancing on pointe is unknown.

The company has traveled all over the world -- Australia, Canada, the U.S., Finland, Germany, France, Romania, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, England and Italy -- thrilling audiences wherever they go. They have appeared at the Albert Hall, the Coliseum, The Metropolitan Opera, Madison Square Garden and dozens of other famous venues.

Tickets for Georgian State Dance Company are $22, students $10. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location. Students of any school must present valid student ID at the Center Box Office to receive discount. Discount coupons are available at all Buffalo area KeyBank locations.