Georgian

traditional dances
and clothesTamar Talakhadze
Mariam
Tcheghelidze
Clothes
Among Georgians, three types of chokhas are primarily used:
the Kartl-Kakheti chokha, the Khevsur chokha, and the
Adjarian chokha. In Georgia, the color black for chokha was
reserved to the "Orden of Chokhosani" who represented the
elite society of the citizens: great generals, war heroes,
famous poets, and the people who had done some big
service to the country. Special decorations were also used to
denote their status.
The Georgian monarchs' clothing, which was adorned with
gems and other priceless jewels (the oldest jewels discovered
on Georgian soil date back to the Paleolithic age), was
notable for its exceptional beauty. The belt was one of the
key components of the royal attire, and fragments of these,
along with frescoes, have been discovered during
archaeological digs. The clothing was decorated with buttons
of different shapes and materials, including metal, precious
stones, and pearls. Shoes, whose prehistoric Georgian
names were "khamli" and "kalamani," held a position in
terms of clothing that was no less important.
 Dances

Georgian folk dances impress with their brightness, incredible fire,

sumptuous costumes and the interweaving of history with art. They
give incredibly great pleasure to both the audience and the dancers
themselves. No one has remained indifferent after such a spectacle!
Today we offer you to get acquainted with the most famous
Georgian folk dances and learn a little about their history:
During many years in different parts of the country, unique dancing
movements were appearing which have passed from generation to
generation. And you will note that the dances of mountainous region
inhabitants are characterized by sharp and rapid movements while
the dance movements of plain inhabitants are smooth. Each
Georgian national dance requires special costumes which resemble
the clothes of inhabitants of different regions.
Hello, I am a Georgian dancer, as you see, my classmate has presented
information about the Georgian dances in general. Now its my turn to
take you to a nice and wonderful trip which is called “The traditions of
Georgian dances”.
First of all, you should know that each dance has its own emotions and
its
particular description. As soon as I wear any Georgian dance costume, I
am happy and proud because I feel as a brave strong Georgian girl,
when I am in the concert-hall I have a strong feeling of excitement and
delight.
It’s possible for me to express both roles of a girl and of a boy. The male
and
the female roles are difficult and rather interesting.
I have got some costumes. All of them are hand-made of natural
material, decorated with some precious stones and ornaments. They are
made of natural leathers and fur. When I am dressed in any of them,
my mood is changing, I feel better, because I touch something important
for me and my country.
As soon as I dance “kartuli” I imagine a traditional wedding party in
Georgia. This dance is considered to be the most well-known
Georgian dance. Why? In this dance, a man is not allowed to
touch a woman, it’s so romantic and polite. I am fan of Pridon
Sulaberidze, who is particular for his feet movements. This dance
is so hard, a very complicated one because you must not move
your body, but express your feeling by the movement of your
hands and feet.
Also I would like to tell you about “apkhazuri”. All of you know, that
this part of Georgia has been occupied by RF. This dance is very
fast. The costume is also nice – mostly a black dress with some
kind of cover of gold-brown color. It has no belt, but it is
decorated with a cross on your neck and some stones, with
headscarves, (mandili), just to underline the bravity and strength of
these people.
“Tamariani” is an outstanding dance, which is performed mostly by
6-8 girls, only girls! This dance is my favorite one. The music is just
a rhythm, unchangeable at the beginning and developing by the
middle of it. The dance is to show how to fight and protect
ourselves.
Really, its impossible to touch and speck about all the
dances, we have got in Georgia. I have just tried to
mention some of them, I hope you like it and I hope I
did not bore you.
Thanks for
attention!

Mariam
Tcheghelidze