Ukrainian dancer Olha Vidisheva, who found herself stranded in Georgia due to the outbreak of hostilities in her country following the Russian invasion, has joined the troupe of the Tbilisi Contemporary Ballet and will be featured in its upcoming shows.
In an interview with the Georgian public broadcaster’s daily program Rush Hour, Mariam Aleksidze, the company’s founder and artistic director, said the decision was made to support the 21-year-old dance professional by offering her a ” opportunity to overcome the pain” caused by the war, in addition to supporting the Ukrainian people in the midst of the military conflict.
The Ukrainian performer will be offered the opportunity to work on contemporary dance techniques with the group and “to bring new experiences and knowledge to the homeland”. [after her return]said Aleksidze.
The initiative comes from Aleksidze and the troupe’s director Davit Maziashvili, with the former noting that the ballet troupe would continue to support Vidisheva “as long as it needs it”. Aleksidze also stressed the importance of expressing solidarity with Ukraine “through specific actions”.
Originally from Zaporozhye, the city in southeastern Ukraine on the Dnieper River, Vidisheva was looking for a teaching job in Tbilisi due to her inability to return home.
She found information about the Tbilisi company on the Internet and soon after was offered the job. The 21-year-old said the opportunity “exceeded my expectations and I am very happy”, expressing her gratitude and noting that she would not cut ties with Georgia after returning to Ukraine after the conflict.
Founded in 2016 by the Tbilisi City Hall, the Tbilisi Contemporary Ballet is named after Giorgi Aleksidze, a choreographer who led the troupe of the Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theater in the 1990s. The troupe promotes contemporary classical dance in Georgia through productions, the first of which has an experimental approach.
