Artists defy tumult to make it on to the stage

Published on Thursday 7 August 2008 22:29

THE director of the Edinburgh International Festival yesterday paid tribute to top international artists honouring their commitments to Edinburgh in the face of tumult at home.

Jonathan Mills singled out the Georgian prima ballerina Nina Ananiashvili, who was flying here yesterday. Her appearance in the role of Giselle for the first time in Britain has helped drive festival sales for dance to a ten-year high.

"If ever we were deeply grateful for artists to arrive, it is certainly the State Ballet of Georgia. There is an ongoing and quite serious political issue on their borders with the separatists in South Ossetia," he said. "It's not always easy to leave your homeland at a time when it's difficult."

The dancer's husband is a senior government official.

The festival kicks off tonight with the sold-out concert at the Usher Hall, the Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. The building is under scaffolding in a multi-million-pound overhaul but got its operating licence for festival concerts two days ago.

More than 2 million of tickets have been sold for the festival, whose theme this year is Artists without Borders.

Matthew Bourne's new ballet Dorian Gray is set to become the most attended dance show in the festival's history, being seen by more than 10,000 people.