Performing Ensembles and Living Traditions of Music and Dance in Achara

Rural populations are the direct inheritors of ancestral music and dance traditions. The conditions that support cultural activity in Georgia's regions have, however, changed significantly over time, with much music-making now focused on performing ensembles. In this paper I examine ensemble culture in present-day Achara, with the ensemble viewed figuratively as a multimodal, polyphonic entity. What role do ensembles play in keeping music and dance alive in the villages? How do ensemble members align their responsibilities as culture-bearers presenting their heritage on stage with spontaneous music-making in domestic settings? How critical are the ensembles to the sustainability of a living tradition? More broadly, I am interested in how recent revitalisation trends have unfolded at the interface between Soviet legacies, administrative restructuring, UNESCO-style safeguarding strategies, government-funded programmes, the continuation of family traditions, and individual initiatives. What might be gained from viewing the ensemble not as an entity that operates in a space apart from primary, everyday music-making, but as a vital lynchpin that focuses attention and support for musical activity at community level as well as on the concert stage?