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SAMAIA just finished tour in Russia. We planned this tour a long time ago. There were a lot of problems on the way. Of course, one of the problems were the visas. As you probably know, there are no diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia after the war. So we had to apply to the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation for help in getting the visas. Luckily people in the Ministry also love the Georgian culture and understand that cultural connections can become the bridge for the relations between the countries to improve.

We thank the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation and personaly First Deputy Minister Mr. Andrey Denisov for the help and support in preparing the visas for our Group.

There was a lot of tension in Georgia when we were leaving. Some of the nationalists tried to blame us and our Group. They said that we cannot perform in RUssia because of the War. But we answer that Georgians who live in Russia should not become the hostages of the Politics. They want to see and be proud of their culture. And we are glad that we got this opportunity.

All 3 Shows - 2 in Moscow and 1 in St.Petersburg - had a big success. Our goal is to present the Georgian culture in a more comprehensive way. We are not a folc Show and we tried to present in Russia our new approach to the Georgian dancing. The most of the audience loved our Show and we are happy about it. Of course there were people who were not very happy, because they wanted to see the old fashioned Georgian dancing, costumes and music. Our Show is a variety of colors, very dynamic feast for the audience. One of the most common comments was that the Show is too short. But then people realized that the Show is more than 1,5 hours long! And it is just the dynamism of the Show, which gives this impression to the audience!

As usual our dancers went in the lobby to meet wiht the audience. For more than an hour our girls and boys were making pictures with the people, who were happy to have this opportunity. Everyone thanked our dancers for the Feast of the Georgian culture on Russian stage and invited us back! We will come back soon!

See you next time, Russia!