Sukhishvili Presents Its First Three-Day Festival at Tsinandali Estate

For the first time, the Sukhishvili ensemble, a national symbol of Georgian culture with a history spanning almost a century, presented a three-day festival at Tsinandali Estate as part of Vardobistve, a series of cultural events hosted at the estate, with the Sukhishvili Festival as the centrepiece of this year's programme.

Alongside the rich concert programme, guests visiting Tsinandali Estate also had the opportunity to explore a special exhibition at the Alexander Chavchavadze House Museum, featuring unique stage costumes and historical photographs from different periods of the ensemble's history.

The exhibition, titled "Sukhishvili - On Stage and Through the Lens," will remain on display in the exhibition space until the end of July.

"The exhibition features archival photographs from all three generations, as well as costumes created between the 1940s and 1970s. Above all, this is the story of how our ensemble was created and of the tireless work behind it. Even in the photographs, you can feel that emotion and dedication. I believe this is a great treasure." - Nino Sukhishvili, General Director of the Georgian National Ballet Sukhishvili and costume designer

The story of Sukhishvili began in 1945, when Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili, united by their love for ballet and Georgian folklore, officially founded the ensemble. Over the years, the great Georgian artist and scenographer Soliko Virsaladze worked alongside them, bringing an entirely new style to the creative stage with his outstanding professionalism. His costumes preserve authenticity while carrying a distinct sense of artistic elegance.

Over three days of Vardobistve, guests at Tsinandali experienced a specially created programme featuring standout choreographic compositions from the ensemble's rich 80-year repertoire. The programme reflected different periods and eras of Sukhishvili's history, including iconic choreographic works that had not been performed by the ensemble for many years.

The first evening was dedicated to the classical programme. On the second day, the audience saw "Zekari," a programme made up of dances staged by Iliko Sukhishvili Jr. over the past 25 years. The third and final day of the festival was dedicated to the modernised programme "Karabsha."

"Sukhishvili and Ramishvili are part of the Georgian genetic code. They represent the very best of what we have as Georgians. We had been thinking for a long time about creating a major project in Tsinandali, and now the Sukhishvili and Ramishvili Festival has taken place. I want to emphasise both names, because Nino Ramishvili and Iliko Sukhishvili cannot be separated. They created this phenomenon together. The story continues, and today the third generation, Nino and Iliko, are carrying their work forward beautifully. This is a great source of pride for us, and we would like to turn this festival into a tradition at Tsinandali." – George Ramishvili, Founder and Chairman of Silk Road Group

The events held within the framework of Vardobistve are presented and hosted by Silk Hospitality and Tsinandali Estate.

General sponsor and supporter: SOLO
Sponsors: Visa, Silknet, Borjomi, Gulf
The Tsinandali exhibition series is supported by Silknet.