GEORGE BIRKADZE
NEWS
recent Interviews, Reviews, etc.
East and West converge in Ballet Manila's 'American Stars Gala'
ABS-CBN News - June 23, 2018
Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde says the idea of bringing together these outstanding young dancers onstage was broached to her by choreographer and Boston Ballet faculty George Birkadze, who was recently in town to create new works for her company...
Ballet Manila’s 2018 season opener features rising US dance stars
Inquirerer.net - June 25, 2018
The “East-West showcase” was broached by choreographer and Boston Ballet faculty George Birkadze to Lisa Macuja Elizalde, BM chief executive officer and artistic director...Meanwhile, BM will unveil Birkadze’s brand new choreography, “Imperial,” as well as restage a company warhorse, “Deconstructing Gershwin,” by Hazel Sabas-Gower...
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Russian choreographer George Birkadze creates a tango on pointes for Ballet Manila
Ballet Manila Archives - April 2018
"Birkadze flew to Manila this summer to work on two pieces for BM (Bru and Imperial) aside from fulfilling his role as a judge in this year’s Asian Grand Prix regionals...The sessions with the dancers also ran smoothly as George and BM artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde share ballet roots. “We come from a similar dance background, the Russian school, so we agree on things. We are on the same page..."
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Choreography in Focus: Imperial by George Birkadze
Ballet Manila Archives - April 2018
"For George Birkadze, it all starts with the sound. When he encounters music that he likes – bold, striking, full of character – he just has to stop, listen and immerse himself in it.
That’s the kind of effect Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Procession of the Nobles had on him.
“I was impressed when listening to this piece and the range of moods that I felt. It truly embodies its name, Procession of the Nobles, in how the piece develops and builds, leading to an incredibly powerful ending, emphasizing greatness,” George explains..."
Meet George Birkadze
Boston Voyager - June 19, 2018
Thanks for sharing your story with us George. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am currently a retired professional dancer, teaching and choreographing for the new generations of dance. I am also a professional MMA/BJJ fighter and coach. The story of how I ended up exceling in both fields goes back to when I was a kid. I started dance at a young age in the Republic of Georgia...
Fighter-Choreographer Ignites New Firebird in the Philippines: An Interview with George Birkadze
Critical Dance - June 21, 2016
"My version is a pas de deux for Romeo and Juliet; there’s no Mercutio or any other secondary characters. I didn’t have the resources to do a full-evening ballet, so I did it in seven minutes, and it worked very well. Romeo and Juliet meet and come together; then they separate and die. But you don’t see Juliet die, you only see the moment when she wakes up, and it’s indicated by a simple movement of her hand. The piece stops right there. It’s up to you to decide what happens next..."
View From The Wing
THE EVOLUTION OF STRAVINKSY’S ‘FIREBIRD’
Arts News Service - August 3, 2016
"We scouted for the most imaginative choreographer and found him in the person of Georgian-American ballet master George Birkadze who had stints with Boston Ballet and earlier, with Bolshoi in Russia.
Birkadze – who is now an American citizen – has Russian roots which he says is actually an advantage. “When you are a product of many cultures, you tend to be more imaginative and more conscious of what each culture can contribute..."
REVIEW: Sarasota Ballet's final program a mixed bag
Herald Tribune - April 30, 2011
"The strongest was George Birkadze's "Farandole," to music by George Bizet, which had all the flair and bombast of the choreographer's Russian roots. Birkadze was once compared in the New York Times to another famous George B. from Georgia (Balanchine), and his musicality made the link justifiable. I could have watched for a lot longer than the few minutes it took to perform it..."
George Birkadze tweaks ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ ‘Farandole’ for Ballet Philippines
GMA News Online - August 30, 2014
"With the grace of a gazelle, the intensity of a lion, and the looks and build of a Hollywood star, Ballet Philippines' guest choreographer George Birkadze rehearsed BP dancers with all the precise movements, clean body lines, and emotional nuances of the two of his works BP mounts next month: the R/J for Romeo and Juliet and the Farandole..."