For more than 50 years, the State Academic Ensemble “Rustavi” of Folk Song and Dance of Georgia has been introducing Georgian song and dance to the public in different countries of the world. The ensemble is really distinguished for its rich repertoire, quintessence, polyphony and performing peculiarities. There are no people or nation in the world that would have the repertoire similar to the Georgian traditional performing art. Ensemble “Rustavi” is outstanding among other Georgian ensembles, the dancers and the singers of which have hundreds of songs and dances in their repertoire. Subsequently, the repertoire appeals to the public of different countries having varied interests. There is a traditional repertoire in the program – folk songs and dances. There are also enhanced and short programs, the repertoires consisting of sacred hymns as well as secular folk songs. The songs accompanied with Georgian musical instruments; the synthesis of the song and dance on common music, etc.
Since its foundation, Ensemble “Rustavi” gave about 8000 concerts (excluding the ones held in Georgia) in more than 80 countries. Among them, there were leading concert or opera halls of the world. During its existence, Ensemble “Rustavi” held more than 8000 concerts, successfully travelled through about 80 countries (most of them several times). The singers and the dancers performed in such prestigious halls as “Olympia”, “Mogador” and the “Theater of Player” in Paris, London’s “Albert Hall”, the Great Theater of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Amsterdam, New-York, Tokyo, Cairo, Rome, Shanghai, Berlin and the great concert halls of other cities of the world. In 1990 Ensemble “Rustavi” became a participant of one of the ceremonies of American Academy Awards “Oscar”. At the awarding ceremony, the Georgian dance and song turned out to be more interesting for the movie fans than the winners receiving “Oscar”.
In 2005, at its own 60 th jubilee conducted in Tokyo, UNESCO invited only Ensemble “Rustavi” to hold a concert. At different times, “Rustavi” has recorded and produced on gramophone records and CDs more than 800 Georgian folk songs, hymns and their different versions. It must be noted that 318 songs from this catalog were recorded by “SONY”.
Ensemble “Rustavi” was created in 1968 by Anzor Erkomaishvili.
