Choreographer Giorgi Aleksidze posthumously awarded Presidential Order of Excellence

Late Georgian choreographer Giorgi Aleksidze, who led the ballet troupe of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre in the 1990s, will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Order of Excellence later today for "outstanding contribution" to the country's professional dance scene.

The family of the late ballet master will accept the state award from President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili, marking the latest recognition of the choreographer's work at the major state dance company over the years.

Aleksidze's daughter Mariam, who leads the 2016-established Tbilisi Contemporary Ballet troupe named after the late creative, said the title honoured the legacy of the former artistic director of the Opera and Ballet Theatre company.

Both Mariam and her late father worked at the state troupe that is predominantly oriented on classical productions, however Giorgi Aleksidze was also known for his experimental work on smaller-scale chamber productions while leading the group.

Working as the artistic director of the troupe in two stints starting in 1972, Aleksidze "introduced to the Georgian ballet the genre of symphonic dance and neo-classical style", the Tbilisi Contemporary Ballet profile about the late choreographer said.

The ballet master led the Tbilisi state company again between 1985-2004 while also working as the Artistic Director of Tbilisi Vakhtang Chabukiani Choreographic School.

Recipient of the Russian theatre prize 'Golden Sofit', the choreographer's work was also recognised with the launch of the Giorgi Aleksidze Foundation for the Development of Contemporary Choreography.