Georgian folk dancers star at Qatar cultural festival

A Georgian folk dance ensemble has been highly commended for its performance at a Middle Eastern festival of cultures.

The Egrisi folk dance ensemble performed two shows in Qatar's capital Doha last week at the inaugural Cultural Diversity Festival, which included shows from performing artists from all over the world.

The Cultural Diversity Festival, staged for the first time this year, brought together participants from over 20 countries. It began on January 10 and will run until May 30.

The young Georgian dancers impressed the audience and drew extensive praise in local media reports. Reviews of the Georgian ensemble's concerts on February 5 and 6 highlighted both choreographic qualities and diversity of costumes of the performances.

The two concerts by Egrisi aimed to raise awareness of Georgian culture and heritage. Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

The concerts were attended by representatives of the UNESCO bureau in Doha and the ​Cultural Village Foundation-Katara, the two organisations that organised the festival. Other guests included local diplomatic corps and theatre-goers.

The Georgian folk group’s performances at the Cultural Diversity Festival were encouraged by the Georgian Embassy in Doha for "raising awareness" of Georgia’s culture, traditions and folk dance in Qatar.

The Cultural Diversity Festival was being held at the Katara Opera House and Katara Drama Theatre in Qatar’s capital Doha.