News

A group of teenagers from the Georgian city of Rustavi will take part in the  International Street Dance Tournament "Rise Up: Summer Challenge'11" in Panevėžys (Lithuania) this Saturday.Three children from the disadvantaged families will present a breakdancing program, which has been specially developed for the festival in Lithuania.

After the tournament, the kids will also take one-week dance classes under the supervision of a famous Lithuanian choreographer, a world hip-hop champion Dainius Žebrauskas-Skruzdėliukas (The Little Ant).

All three Georgian kids come from the Rustavi informal youth education center, which has been renovated last year with the help of Lithuanian businessmen and the Lithuanian Embassy to Georgia. The center has quickly become a second home to the children of the disadvantaged families and those from the street.

The idea to bring the dancers from Georgia belongs to a Lithuanian businessman Audrius Lukauskis, who visited Rustavi in March and, impressed by the performance of the children, decided to organize their trip to Lithuania. The Lithuanian Embassy helped Lukauskis to establish contacts with a Georgian company Zakharia Ltd., which has become another sponsor of the children's trip.

It is believed that this initiative will motivate the youngsters and their friends to more actively engage in the activities of the youth education center, thus escaping the risks of the street life.

The International Street Dance Tournament "Rise Up: Summer Challenge'11” will be held in Panevėžys already for the second time.

The Georgian dance team will present their breakdancing program in the premises of the Panevėžys cinema theater "Garsas" on May 14th.

Embassy of Lithuania