Tamaz Vashakidze

Tamaz Vashakidze (April 14, 1961, in Tbilisi) is an artist (People's Artist of Georgia), premier dancer of the State Georgian Ballet, choreographer, holder of the Order of Honor of Georgia (2001), founder and awardee of the Chabukiani-Balanchine International Festival of Ballet Art, founder of the New Georgian Ballet Theatre of Modern Dance, holder of Special Award of Balanchine's Family, and founder of the Foundation "Chabukiani-Balanchine".

Tamaz Vashakidze was born in 1961 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

In 1972, he entered Tbilisi Ballet Art State School.

His teachers were Vivi Metreveli and Vakhtang Chabukiani."After graduating from the School in 1979, he was employed as the leading soloist at the Tbilisi Z. Paliashvili State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet."

The first festival was dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the Tbilisi Ballet Art State School.

"I am happy to congratulate the remarkable team of the Vakhtang Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School with its 85th anniversary. The name of the great dancer that your School has is much obliging. And it's joyful to realize that due to everyday efforts of the teachers the glory of Georgian choreography art does not fade away still nowadays. Your students shine not only on Georgian stage, but on many famed stages of the world, including the stages of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia and Mariinsky Theatre. I wish you much success in this noble field. Today is your holiday. I am sure that the First Chabukiani-Balanchine International Ballet Art Festival held in Tbilisi and dedicated to this memorable anniversary will bring you real joy of meeting with fine art."

(M. Shvydkoy, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation. Speech at the Festival opening ceremony)

In 1991 Vashakidze was awarded the title of People's Artist of Georgia.

From 1991 to 1993, Vashakidze was elected artistic director of the ballet company of the Tbilisi State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Paliashvili.

In 1993, he was appointed artistic director of the Tbilisi Choreographic School named after Chabukiani.

In 1993, Vashakidze founded a theatre of modern dance, New Georgian Ballet.

The first number which was produced in newborn theatre was a number titled "We Begin"; a medley from products of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Wagner, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Liszt, with the sound of kremlin chimes at the beginning.

The performers included Vashakidze, artist on light Vladislav Vlasov and artist on suit Eka Turmanidze.

The first night took place in 1993 in Tbilisi academic theatre of the opera and ballet.

The first show outside Georgia in the same year in St. Petersburg state conservatory.

From 1993 to 2004 he was appointed artistic director of the Tbilisi Ballet Art State School by the Georgian Minister of Culture Dato Magradze.

The theatre debut took place in 1994 with the first night of the Class-Concert performance at the International Ballet Festival in Aspendos, Turkey.

In 1995, he graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatoire in choreography.

In 1999 Vashakidze produced the first Georgian performance in the manner of modern dance, Anbani.

Later the same year, the ballet Anbani was presented at the International Modern Dance Festival in the French city of Montpellier.

The French press tagged it as the "start of a new day".

"I used to visit Georgia and only can say that Tamaz Vashakidze managed to wonderfully translate Georgian spirit in his creation. I'm happy I could see the performance".

(Dieter Tanike, Director General of the Theatre Festival in Hamburg and Ganov)

"Tamaz Vashakidze has charmed with extraordinary energy and breath-taking beauty of movements".

(Nathalie Vim, Deputy Director General of the Avignon Festival)

"I believe that the most difficult is to make the spectators of the Montpellier Festival to remember you. Georgians managed to do that. I'm very glad for them. This means that AFFA had made the right decision having supported this project".

(Claire Verlet, Chief Manager of dance and theatre programs at AFFA)

In 2001, Vashakidze, in the function of the Director of the Tbilisi Ballet Art State School, had initiated the Chabuakiani-Balanchine International Ballet Art Festival.

The same year by Decree of the Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze No. 892 from September 3, 2001, Tamaz Vashakidze was awarded with the Order of Honor for development and popularization of the Georgian ballet art and running the First International Ballet Art Festival Chabukiani-Balanchine.

"The Tbilisi Ballet Art State School named after genius creative personality Vakhtang Chabukiani is celebrating its eighty-fifth jubilee. It is remarkable, that the First Chabukiani-Balanchine International Ballet Art Festival is dedicated to this event. If we may speak today about Georgian contribution in the treasury of the world ballet, then first of all it is the merit of the Vakhtang Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School. I'm sure that the First Chabukiani-Balanchine International Ballet Art Festival will write interesting pages in the history of world arts."

(Sesili Gogiberidze, Georgian Minister of Culture. Speech at the Festival opening ceremony)

In 2001 Vashakidze was appointed director of the Tbilisi Ballet Art State School.

In 2002, Vashakidze started the Foundation Chabukiani-Balanchine.

In 2005, by invitation of the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography of Russia, Vashakidze produced the ballet Big Waltz to music by Johann Strauss on the stage of the Concert Hall named after Tchaikovsky (Moscow), having become the first Georgian choreographer whose ballet first night took place on stage starring dancers from the Russian Ballet company.

Following the first night of the production of Big Waltz in Moscow (1.5 years after Tamaz Vashakidze was fired from the Tbilisi Ballet Art School) he received an invitation to the General Prosecutor's Office in Georgia for testifying.

In September 2005, his name was put on the wanted list, although the Georgian authorities knew where he was.

By the invitation of the Agency for Culture and Cinematography Vashakidze was in Ekaterinburg, where he negotiated the production of the Big Waltz ballet on the stage of the local Opera and Ballet Theatre (the production took place in 2006).

In 2006, Tamaz Vashakidze became the ballet master of the Ekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.

In 2007, after being arrested on Russian territory under the requisition of Georgian authorities, Tamaz Vashakidze asked the Russian Government for political asylum.

In 2008 Russia granted his application and Vashakidze was given the status of political refugee.