Country: 
Lebanon
Associated organisations: 
Cultural Organization
Professions: 
Director
Founder
Field(s) of expertise: 
Arts
Areas of Impact: 
Arts

Personal information

Georgette Gebara
Founder, Director of the Ecole Libanese De Ballet, Choreographer, Lecturer, Writer

Contact information (Private)

+961 5 451429
+961 3 302377

Contact information (Work)

Ecole Libanaise de Ballet (now closed)
+961 9 218577

Community/Lebanon Impact

The top priority of artists is their art.  It is through their art that they are able to immortalize their country.

Certainly one of the hardest decisions of my life was NOT to leave during the 15-year war.  One does not leave one’s child when the child is very sick.  We call our country the “motherland”, but in times of tragedy, we become the parent.  I would travel 10 or 15 days in the rare moments of “truce”, but always returned.

I built my big dream school in 1985 (1240 sq m. !).  From its hilltop location, I could see ships carrying away my compatriots, while I was piling brick upon brick, to give dance and culture a powerful presence.

Having been named Secretary of the International Dance Committee (ITI) UNESCO, and member of the Executive Council of ITI,** I  had to travel extensively.  My colleagues had their expenses covered either by their ITI Centres or by their Governments.  In my case, I had to cover my own expenses.  I still made it a point to attend ALL the meetings organized in different countries, just because I felt it was absolutely necessary to transform the horrible images of Lebanon the war had left.

Work history

Previous Professions: 
  • Founder and director, 1964 - present, Ecole Libanaise de Ballet. Branch in Tripoli in 1972.
  • Member, 1996-2008, Executive Council of the International Theatre Institute (UNESCO).
  • Secretary, 1995-2008, International Dance committee, International Theatre Institute (UNESCO).
  • Dancing Instructor, 1966-1984, Institute of Fine Arts, Theater Section, Lebanese University.

Major Achievements

Major achievements: 
  • Choreographed and danced to the recitation of Arabic poetry, the first experience of its kind in the Middle East, for a programme on poetry produced by the Jordanian Television, and aired in almost all Arab countries (1981).
Exhibitions, lectures & performances: 
  • Leading performer, choreograoher and jury member in many play productions, dancing performances and competition programs since 1964 including:
  1.  "Soirées de Ballet", 1966, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1988 and 1994 in Beirut, Tripoli and Zahle.
  2. Leading dancer in several major ballets performances of the classical repertoire such as "Nutcracker", "Sleeping Beauty", "Coppelia", "Sylphides".
  3. - Choreographer representing Lebanon in several festivals such as Nancy festival (a city in the north of France), Baghdad and Carthage Festivals.
  4. Choreographer of the play "L'émigré de Brisbane" written by George Shehade and performed in the presence of Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia.
  5.  Jury member of major competitions involving dance and other art disciplines in Lebanon (such as Studio el-Fan and Nadi El-Nawadi), Cyprus and Italy.
  • Speaker, "Dance Between Two Bombs and the Sniper's Fire", The Lebanese American University, 2012.
  • Speaker, "Choreography to Express Identity", Sousse, Tunisia (April, 2000), Limassol, Cyprus (February, 2006), World Dance Day Festival at the Lebanese American University (LAU), Beirut, April 2011.
  • Speaker, "The XXth Century, Century of Women in Dance", 2011.
  • Speaker, "Pioneer Women of Dance in America", Kennedy Center, Beirut, 1977.
  • Speaker, a lecture on "Classic and Modern Dance", Rotary Club of Tripoli, 1973.
  • Speaker, "Dance in Lebanon" at the International Dance Symposium, Wichita, Kansas, United States of America, August, 1970.

Accomplishments

Distinctions: 
  • Honored by the Japan Foundation for her achievements, 1999.
Awards: 
  • Said Akl award for artistic achievement, March 1972.
  • Tribute and achievement award by Zouk Cultural Club, 1995
  • Invited by Japan Fooundation for a VIP official two-week visit of Japan, September 1999
  • Life achievement award from the “Mouvement Culturel d’Antelias”, 10 March 2001.
  • Life achievement award on 18 August 2004 from the Cultural Commission of the town of Zahle
  • Murex d’Or award for life achievement in May 2007.
  • Honorary Award, Azm Cultural Club, Tripoli (North Lebanon) 29 April 2010
  • Honorary Award, Union Catholique Internationale de la Presse, 1 December 2010
  • Honorary Award on INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY FESTIVAL, LAU, 2010
  • Honorary Member of INTERNATIONAL THEATRE INSTITUTE for life, Xiamen, China, 20 September 2011
  • Honorary Award of the Association Chebli Issa Khoury, Becharreh, 5 November 2011
  • Honorary Award, VAN RADIO, 6 November 2015
  • NDU, special life achievement award, 5 November 2017
  • BIPOD Life achievement award, 16 April 2018
  • LAU Life achievement award, 8 May 2018
  • Syndicate of Professional Artists, honoured as Founding Member, 17 March 2019
  • Order of Merit of the Lebanese Republic, June 2022
  • Trophee by LAU President on the occasion of donation of my archives, 29 June 2023
  • Trophee of Distinction from Minister of Information, Ziad Makary, 28 February 2024

Competences & Skills

Field(s) of Expertise: 
  • Choreography
  • Ballet Dancing and Teaching
  • Arts
  • Theater
  • Teaching
Languages: 
  • Arabic
  • French
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Greek
  • Italian