Described as one of the greatest ballerinas of all time Nina Ananiashvili enchanted us In Conversation as much as she had done so on stage. Gerald Dowler expertly tapped into her memories and she regaled us with stories from her childhood in Georgia, her illustrious career as a dancer at the Bolshoi and with the ABT in New York and then as Director of the State Ballet of Georgia.
As a junior figure skating champion, she had little interest in ballet until a show piece was choreographed for her. She fell in love with the white tutu she was asked to wear while skating as The Dying Swan and subsequently switched her interests to ballet. With her long legs and ability to jump and turn she showed early promise and auditioned at the prestigious Bolshoi and Maryinsky schools. Nina described the move to Moscow away from her parents and brothers as very hard, but she was accompanied by her grandmother who gave up her career as a doctor and lived with Nina, helping her with the new language and with her homework.
Nina’s career at the Bolshoi coincided with perestroika and the freedom that brought. In 1988 Nina was the first dancer from the former Soviet Union to be invited to dance with New York City Ballet at Balanchine’s theatre. Emotionally connected to her fellow Georgian, Nina described seeing a portrait of Balanchine as a déjà vu experience. She recalled that her father had taken her to watch Jewels in Moscow when she was aged six. Frequently guesting with various companies all over the world Nina turned down the opportunity of a permanent contract with the Royal Ballet, but she danced with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) as guest Principal Dancer for 18 years.
In 2004, with her dancing career at its peak, the President of Georgia contacted Nina and asked her to bring new life to the opera house in Tbilisi. Even at a time when the country was in ‘a bad situation’ and people were afraid to go out Nina felt unable to say ‘no’ and assembled a company. With no pay for two months, little heating, water or lighting, the dancers persevered because they loved to dance and wanted their theatre to survive. As Director Nina told her dancers that of course they had great technique but circus performers could do tricks just as well and if you didn’t say something from the heart audiences would not come back to watch you. Nina promised the President three years. Twenty years later the company has grown in standing and reputation and delighted audiences here in London last month.
Nina says she has enough stories to fill a book. She promised her father before he died earlier this year that she would write one. If it makes as delightful reading as she did In Conversation we are all in for a treat.
