Today is the 100th birth anniversary of the Albanian acclaimed choreographer and pedagogue Panajot Kanaçi, known as the “magician of Albanian dance”.

Kanaçi was born on August 2, 1923. He completed his higher studies as a ballet master at the State Institute of Theatrical Art in Moscow, and then was the artistic director of the Opera and Ballet Theatre.

With the choreography of the first Albanian ballet “Halili and Hajria” (1963, with music by Tish Daija), Kanaçi became the founder of the national choreographic art.

For this choreography, in 1964, he was awarded the First Class Republic Award, with the motivation: “For the staging of the first national ballet “Halili e Hajria” and outstanding merit in the field of choreography”.

Panajot Kanaçi performed a series of leading roles, among which the ballets “Bahçisaraj Fountain” (1951) and “Esmeralda” (1953) stand out.

In the field of elaborate popular choreographic creativity, Panajot Kanaçi has made a valuable contribution. The troupe of dancers created and directed by the master Kanaçi, wherever he represented Albania, grabbed a lot of applause and appreciation, where undoubtedly the greatest credit went to him.

Kanaçi was a tireless cultivator of folk dance, achieving high levels of elaboration such as “Dance of Albanians”, “Labe dance”, “Muzeqare dance” etc. Panajot Kanaçi passed away in 1996.

/k.s/