A snowbound night at Carnegie Hall with the Georgian National Ballet Sukhishvili amNewYork

"The snow had arrived unannounced earlier that day, the kind that hushes New York just enough to make an evening feel ceremonial. Streets softened, footsteps slowed, and for a fleeting moment staying home seemed reasonable. Then coats were buttoned, gloves pulled on, and I took my girlfriend by the arm and did what New York asks of you when culture calls: we braved what remained of the cold and headed toward Carnegie Hall, where history was waiting to be summoned by drum and bone."

"Inside Stern Auditorium, the atmosphere was unmistakable. No screens, no manufactured distraction, no apology for seriousness. Just a stage, an audience ready to be carried, and the arrival of The Georgian National Ballet Sukhishvili, an institution that has spent more than eighty years translating the soul of Georgia into motion, now under the stewardship of Iliko and Nino Sukhishvili Jr. What followed was not simply a performance, but a reckoning with endurance, lineage, and the intelligence of the human body."

"The drums announced themselves immediatelydeep, insistent, ancient. They did not decorate the dance; they commanded it. From the first beat, the men entered like figures pulled from another century, leaping impossibly high, suspending themselves midair in sculptural stillness, then slamming down onto their knees with a force that made the audience collectively inhale. Those kneesunyielding, disciplined, seemingly carved from stonehit the floor and rebounded instantly, the dancers shooting back into the air as if gravity were a suggestion rather than a rule."

Snow fell earlier, creating a ceremonial evening as the couple walked to Carnegie Hall. Inside Stern Auditorium, the atmosphere lacked screens or distraction, with only stage and audience present. The Georgian National Ballet Sukhishvili, led by Iliko and Nino Sukhishvili Jr., presented more than eighty years of Georgian tradition through movement. Deep, insistent drums commanded the choreography as male dancers executed Khorumi-inspired leaps, suspended stillness, and powerful knee strikes that rebounded instantly. The work evoked preparation for war, emphasized endurance and lineage, and showcased the dancers' disciplined musculature and the intelligence of their bodies.

Read at www.amny.com