Georgia is a beautiful country with diverse people and traditions. Georgian dance and clothing is no exception. Music, clothing, and dance celebrate Georgian diverse culture and each characteristic of clothing and dance portrays the different regions of Georgia. The Khorumi (ხორუმი) from Adjara and Guria region, located in the southwest region of Georgia is vastly different from Kazbeguri (ყაზბეგური) in the northeast. The clothing is different and they resemble the region from the past.
In 1945, Nino Ramishvili and Iliko Sukhishvili founded the Georgian National Ballet and perform Georgian traditional dances all over the world. Georgian dancers are astounding in their choreography on stage with vibrant energy. Men dance with amazing precision and women move with gracefully across the stage. (Note: the clothing have similar silhouettes of the costumes in other dances but different decorations and designs.)
Here are my top three favorites:
Acharuli (აჭარული-Adjara)
Adjaruli originated from Adjara, which is where it gets its name. Adjaruli is separated from other dances because of its colorful costumes and simple but definite movements of both men and women create on stage. The dance is distinguished by graceful and playful between the males and females.
Costume of men consists of an undershirt, underpants, wide trousers and a long decorative jacket called chokha. The chokha is made from wool and is colorful and long-sleeved and worn with a belt that has a dagger. The chokha is decorated with bullet cartridges designs and is called Masri. Women wear a beautiful dress called kartuli, with a decorated belt and a bodice and long laps. A headdress is made out of tulle veil (lechaki), bolster of silk and cotton (kopi), cardboard rim is made of velvet (chikhta) and a large calico veil covering the whole body (chadri) except the face is also worn by women.
Kartuli (ქართული-Georgian)
Kartuli is performed by a couple and it is a romantic dance. The woman keeps her eyes downcast all the time and glides through the dance floor like a swan. While the man looks at the woman as if she is the only person in the world. The couple doesn't touch while dancing. The woman wears a dress called Daisi and the headdress is called Chikhti-kopi with long braided hair. The man wears a Caucasian chokha with bullet-cartridge decorations. It has black leather belts adorned with a silver sword.
Khorumi (ხორუმი)
Khorumi is a war dance originated in Guria and Adjara, in southwestern Georgia, based on the numerous invasions of the country. It dates to the period of the heroic war against the invading armies of the Turks, Mongolians, and other nations. Originally performed by a few men, the dance has grown in scale and thirty or forty dancers may participate.
The clothing worn by the performers is decoratives and it includes a long sleeve shirt, a trouser, a cloth tied around the waist, a pair of long boots, and a cloth tied around the head as a form of headgear.
To learn more about Georgian culture and dances, check out these sites:
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