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A lively highland dance. |
The audience entering the school
the concert took place in. |
Alaverdi cathedral's red-haired (ts'it'elitmiani)
bishop. |
Dancers in Ach'aruli costume, waiting at the side of the auditorium for their music to begin.
A dazzling medley of dances followed....
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| These two photos are
of the Cossack drinking dance, |
which, amusingly, is the only Russian dance which Georgian troupes will perform. | A southern dance, with dancing
on two levels. |
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Knife-throwing dances are an important male ritual;
accuracy |
is prized as well as athleticism in the dance. | A friend of John and Keto's makes a toast at the
supra that night. |
The entire two days were full of making new friends and reuniting with old ones; of course, we had to celebrate with food and drink, and Sopo insisted we have a small supra of our own.
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Back row: Danny Livengood (John's half brother), Sopo, me, Maik'o. Front row: Salome (Sopo and Teona's cousin), Teona, Julie. |
Back row: Teona, Maik'o. Front
row: Sopo, Shergil, Danny |
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When I decided to stay in Sighnaghi for my last week, I came back in time for Keto's birthday (dabadebis dghe) supra. That morning, I stopped by Shergil's woodshop. Besides being a musician, he also is a master woodworker and carver. Danny learned from him for the month that he was visiting his brother John; the two became fast friends and fellow workers.
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Keto's son Lazare sometimes came by to help. |
Danny and Shergil conferring. |
Danny stains the wooden platter he made for Keto. |
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There were breaks for swordfighting
with Lazo. |
Shergil carving a bed for Patty,
one of Village Harmony's leaders, who bought a |
house in Sighnaghi right across the street from Shergil. |
A couple of images of the road to and from Sighnaghi.
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The first gas station out of the
town. |
The milk truck. |
Dato's daughter and (I think) bidza (uncle) watched as he held up the khalechebi (carpets) for me to photograph.
I took this self-portrait in the old tower of St. George's Basilica, on the way back down the road from Dato's house; in 2003, many of us students would go there to do homework or just to see the view.
And finally, a shot of most of my Sighnagheli friends under the streetlamplight on the main boulevard, where each evening we could find each other for song and conversation and general good company.
Left to right: Teona, Maik'o, Nik'a Morodeli (member of Zedashe), Sopo, Gvantsa, Laura