Georgian Dancers Bring Athletic Fight Choreography to Met Opera's "Macbeth"

The Metropolitan Opera's production of Verdi's "Macbeth" features traditional Georgian dance in its fight scenes, a staging choice described by The New York Times as surprising for the composer's adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy. The movement vocabulary includes jumps that begin and end on the kneecaps and turns that carry performers across the stage with motor-like force. Reviewers characterize the dancing as electrifying and extraordinarily athletic, with the physicality of the choreography prompting audible gasps from audiences. The production is staged at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the approach pairs Georgian folk movement traditions with Verdi's operatic setting of the Shakespeare play. Coverage of the production appeared in The New York Times on October 8, 2026.