Nina Ananiashvili still stunning as she nears retirement

Auditorium audiences have seen the phenomenal Nina Ananiashvili dance with the Bolshoi Ballet, and last season with the State Ballet of Georgia, which she leads.

Nina is dancing her farewell season with American Ballet Theatre after 16 years, but continues to wow the audiences. Her final ABT performance is this Saturday; W Magazine has an interview about her emotional good-bye.

American Ballet Theatre's Xiomara Reyes Steps in for Saturday's Don Quixote Performance

Two Top Ballerinas Showcased at the Auditorium This Weekend!

Ballerina Xiomara Reyes, well know to Chicago ballet fans from her apperarances with American Ballet Theatre, is stepping in for the injured Anna Muradeli for Saturday's performance by the State Ballet of Georgia. Reyes will be dancing the lead role of Kitri, which will be danced by fellow ABT principal and State Ballet of Georgia Artistic Director Nina Ananiashvili during the rest of the run.

Read more about Reyes here.

More Georgian Ballet coverage

In case you missed it, the Tribune and Sun-Times have articles about the State Ballet of Georgia in today's issues.

Here's the opening of the Trib article:

"Those lucky, pampered ballerinas -- bouquets at their bows, adoring fans, even heat in the studio in the dead of winter.Well, maybe not always that last. If proof were needed that everything is not so beautiful at the ballet, it's in the story of Nina Ananiashvili and her struggle to restore the endangered State Ballet of Georgia in her native homeland."

And, from the Sun-Times, Nina on Georgian dancers:

"We are people of the south. We have a different look, a different temperament. We speak loudly and use our hands, and people think we are very emotional in the way we express ourselves. That is probably why the 'Don Quixote' ballet [the story of two young lovers, Kitri and Basil, who are supported in their fight to marry for love rather than money by the Don and his pal, Sancho Panza] fits us so well."

New York Times on State Ballet of Georgia

The New York Times had a feature on the State Ballet of Georgia yesterday. What a great story about a company overcoming formidable odds!

Here's what Artistic Director and Prima Ballerina Nina Ananiashvili said about how her company reacted when confronted with no electricity, no heat and no pay:

“Nobody said no,” she recalled. “And they didn’t even have car money. They walked to the theater.” Some dancers were frightened that they could never be ready in time. “Calm down,” she told them. “We will be ready. And then we’ll be happy because we did it.”

Read the article for more - it really is inspiring!

After their New York engagement this weekend, the company heads to Chicago for 4 performances at the Auditorium.

Photos - State Ballet of Georgia

For the most part, we've been using this picture of Nina Ananiashvili in Don Quixote to promote the March 5-9 engagement by the State Ballet of Georgia:



We love this picture, but in addition to performing Don Q three times, the company will also perform an evening of mixed rep on March 7, with pieces by Balanchine (a native of Georgia), Possokhov and Ratmansky. So here are a few more pics:
From Bizet Variations

From Sagalobeli

Auditorium Events in Tribune Winter Preview

Today's Chicago Tribune Arts and Entertainment section featured some Auditorium events. Jazz critic Howard Reich mentions Too Hot to Handel in his music preview, and there's a great picture of prima ballerina Nina Ananiashvili, with her State Ballet of Georgia's prodution of Don Quixote, in the dance preview (sorry, no link).