After the premiere of their opening program this season, Four Temperaments, Dutch National Ballet announced that the winner of the 2023 Alexandra Radius Prize is second soloist Giorgi Potskhishvili.
The Alexandra Radius Prize, an initiative by the Friends of the National Ballet foundation to celebrate outstanding talent with the Dutch National Ballet, marked its 34th annual presentation this year. This prestigious accolade pays tribute to the exceptional achievements of the National Ballet’s dancers, recognizing those who have left an indelible mark on the dance world during the past season.
This year’s jury was made up of:
- namesake Alexandra Radius (former first soloist of the National Ballet)
- Alexander Zhembrovskyy (former first soloist of the National Ballet and owner of the dance and fitness studio)
- Astrid van Leeuwen (dance journalist and publicist)
- Frederik Redelé (board member of the National Opera & Ballet Fund)
- Michèle Bruineman (board member of My Muse & Me)
- Pauline Vereijken (Young Patron of the National Ballet)
About their decision, they collectively said,
“(…) The unanimous choice fell on the Georgian dancer Giorgi Potskhishvili, who was hired by the Junior Company in 2020 and now, three years later, is already second soloist of the National Ballet. (…)
In his second season he danced his first leading role in a major classical production: together with principal soloist Anna Tsygankova, in the role of Sheik Abd-al-Rahman, he gave an exciting extra shine to Rachel Beaujean’s beautiful new Raymonda production.
In the past season, Giorgi has shown that he has developed into a very skilled dancer who simply no one can ignore anymore.
Giorgi – who was originally trained in Georgian folk dancing and only later focused on ballet – combines a striking, very charismatic stage personality with an ability to excel in various dance styles.
At the beginning of the previous season he gave an impressive, personal interpretation of the role of Death in De Groene Tafel. He then shone in various roles in Swan Lake (…) with his striking presence and bravado.
To then switch to a completely different production, Dorian – based on Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray– in which he very convincingly (and with astonishingly high jumps) takes on the role of Dorian Gray, who believes himself to be untouchable.”
Featured Photo of Dutch National Ballet‘s Giorgi Potskhishvili in Raymonda. Photo by Michel Schnater.
