Dancing Together, Again! Creative Residencies Programme

Previous week was very interesting for all the participants. We had a chance to take part in each other’s performances. So the whole week was full of practicing and working. It should be noted that we also worked with local dancers and actors, that made the process more enjoyable and fun.  Trips were very informative and interesting for partisans. Foreigner participants had a chance to get know Georgian Writer’s story. We met an artist who established the puppet theatre by himself in his own house, and so we were able to see couple of his mini performances.  Trip to Kakabeti and Sagarejo was also very interesting for us, as we saw ‘’ongoing project’’ by Levan and Iuri. We were able to listen their ideas about the new school and to explore the surrounding area.  By Oliko Barbakadze წინა კვირა ძალიან საინტერესო იყო ყველა მონაწილისთვის. ჩვენ გვქონდა ერთმანეთის სპექტაკლებში მონაწილეობის შესაძლებლობა. ასე რომ, მთელი კვირა სავსე იყო ვარჯიშით და მუშაობით. აღსანიშნავია, რომ ჩვენ ...

I started working with the actors on Monday. I conducted two workshops, the first part of which consisted of voice and body exercises, and the second part was devoted to Raza Box. Raza Boxing is an exercise where you awaken 8 emotions in a person and then express action with these emotions. Raza Box became the main structure of the performance. After the workshops, instead of the eight emotions, I left the actors with only those emotions that are related to Abkhazia for Jaba and the path that he has traveled. While feeling these emotions, artists have complete freedom of expression, whether they want to write, draw or move.  By  Kote Liparteliani მსახიობებთან მუშაობა ორშაბათიდან დავიწყე. ჩავატარე ორი სემინარი, რომლის პირველი ნაწილი ხმის და სხეულის ვარჯიშებისგან შედგებოდა, მეორე ნაწილი კი რაზა ბოქსს დაეთმო. Raza Boxing არის ვარჯიში, სადაც ადამიანში 8 ემოციას იღვიძებ და შემდეგ ამ ემოციებით გამოხატავ მოქმედებას. რაზა ბოქსი სპექტაკლის მთავარ სტრუქტურად იქცა. სემინარების შემდეგ, რვ...

Hi everyone…  This is my second report on our 2nd week and so far is so creative, full of dance and curiosity. In the end, ART can only save us and we can find ourselves in the art.  This is the street I am passing through every day if I want to reach a New Theatre and I am really enjoying that walk through the city. I am personally very happy because of my whole process of growing, but also because i am engaged in other work in progress and can be involved in other perspectives and see the truths from many angles. Big hug to you all, Sandra  By Sandra Sok Გამარჯობა ყველას… ეს არის ჩემი მეორე რეპორტაჟი ჩვენს მეორე კვირაში და ჯერჯერობით ისეთი კრეატიული, სავსეა ცეკვითა და ცნობისმოყვარეობით. საბოლოო ჯამში, ART-ს მხოლოდ ჩვენი გადარჩენა შეუძლია და ჩვენ შეგვიძლია აღმოვჩნდეთ ხელოვნებაში. ეს ის ქუჩაა, რომელსაც ყოველდღე გავდივარ, თუ მსურს მივაღწიო ახალ თეატრს და ძალიან მსიამოვნებს ქალაქში გასეირნება. მე პირადად ძალიან ბედნიერი ვარ ჩემი ზრდის მთელი პროცესის გამო, მაგრამ ასევე იმიტო...

Intensity, felt in knees, felt in belly, felt in mind. Walking around surrounded by contradictions, impossible connections, potentials, faith. Strength sometimes mocking us, inviting to streach out more.  By Josipa Bubaš ინტენსივობა, იგრძნობა მუხლებში, იგრძნობა მუცელში, იგრძნობა გონება. წინააღმდეგობებით გარშემორტყმული სიარული, შეუძლებელი კავშირები, პოტენციალი, რწმენა. ძალა ხანდახან გვცინის, გვპატიჟებს გაშლას მეტი.

The trip to the Marneuli region was proposed by Levan Khetaguri and Luri Mgebrishvili - curators of the Georgian Residency in Tbilisi. Marneuli, due to its location, is a region that combines Georgian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani culture and tradition. On the 9th of June, we had the opportunity to observe the work of the Marneuli Cultural Centre, where young people and children presented traditional folk dance. But the biggest surprise of the day was Armen Hovanesian's Puppet Theatre. We were invited to the actor Armen Hovhannisya's …. living room to expirence puppetry etudes inspired by legends of this region. We could admire the magnificent handycraft - both the scenography and puppets were made and designed by the actor himself. In the end, a couple of beautiful puppet scenes were presented, charming the whole group with the magic of it all - the flawless execution of the work, the concept and direction, as well as the movement of the puppets. Immediately you could see his lov...

On the morning of June 3rd and 4th, I attended the workshop of Atsushi Kakumoto, a theatre director, who founded the Tokyo-based company d’UOMO ex machina. His work was focused on the control of body movements which are really important also in dance choreography. He was really precise in explaining us directions and ways of walking. But the day I got to the heart of my residency was the 5th of June. That day I gave a workshop in order to find performers for the choreography I intended to create during my stay in Georgia. To my surprise, there were about twenty people to attend it. Sandra Sok was responsable for the first part of the class while I led the second part. Assuming that all of us have parts of the body that we are ashamed of, emotions that we try to hide, things about ourselves that we would like to change because they are not socially accepted, I invited the participant to move starting from the part of their body or from the emotion they were thinking about. I wanted to p...

Everything is going well, every day i am feeling more and more in love with the smells of Georgia,amazing people,wine,food and artist.  One more thing that i can say : "i am very grateful to share this amazing life journey with these people."  By Tony Flego   ყველაფერი კარგად მიდის, დღითიდღე უფრო და უფრო მიყვარდება საქართველოს სუნი, საოცარი ხალხი, ღვინო, საჭმელი და ხელოვანი. კიდევ ერთი რამ, რაც შემიძლია ვთქვა: "ძალიან მადლობელი ვარ, რომ გავუზიარე ეს საოცარი ცხოვრებისეული მოგზაურობა ამ ადამიანებს."

Time spent with people, dance halls and wood. The smells of things, of houses... The worn shoes, the earth, the screams, energies that tell of things lost in car traffic. Then again, a pair of shoes, cherries on the tray at home, the smell of the famous madeleine.  This is the time to create and be two, this is the time to build the switch and turn on the light. From off to on. By  Iole Le Sala ხალხთან გატარებული დრო, საცეკვაო დარბაზები და ხე. ნივთების, სახლების სუნი... ნახმარი ფეხსაცმელი, დედამიწა, ყვირილი, ენერგია, რომელიც მოგვითხრობს მანქანების მოძრაობაში დაკარგული ნივთების შესახებ. მერე ისევ წყვილი ფეხსაცმელი, სახლში უჯრაზე ალუბალი, ცნობილი მადლენის სუნი. ეს არის დრო, რომ შევქმნათ და ვიყოთ ორი, ეს არის დრო, რომ ავაშენოთ ჩამრთველი და ჩართოთ შუქი. შორიდან-მეთქი.

The past week has been incredibly packed with new meetings, unexpected events, rehearsals for two performances, trips outside of Tbilisi, new smells, colors and inspiration from all sorts of places. He particularly delighted me with how proud Georgians are of their culture. How industrious and visionary both the current mature generation and the youngest can be. With what enthusiasm they are able to present complex choreographies. How the past here discusses with the present and creates a unique hybrid. The youngest alumni of the schools and participants of the additional dance courses we observed during the Georgian dance shows are characterized by incredible energy, prowess, talent, intense presence, some strange kind of prowess and vitality. I was extremely pleased that a dance reserved exclusively for boys was performed for us by a group of wonderful girls and women.  It's an image to which, among all the others, I will return with my memory for a long time By Agnieszka Dubilew...

I am grateful to be able to work in the beautiful space of Movement Theatre. I feel blessed to be able to spend each morning in the space of a black box. It reminds me that theatre really is a space of wonder and play. I transform my thoughts, dreams and desires into material actions in this space. I feel refreshed by the possibility of working on a new piece of work. It feels like I am taking a real risk here, or several risks. Maybe making art can sometimes be a process where different forces are sort of fighting against each other. Or where that fight of different forces is being exposed by an artist. I feel very strongly in the work that I am making that art is extremely political. We see it in the places, people and artworks that we are getting to know during our time in Georgia. I feel on the edge but at the same time very alive during my process here. A sense of constant threat, a possibility of a fight around every corner, but also a home - simply, a body.  By Monika Błaszc...

“A toast for”  The weather in Tbilisi this week has been variable, as far as the changes in my mood and creative inspirations. I started working with Josepa and Michèl with great satisfaction: the clubbing project was transformed. It is very complex to teach a new group a training that requires a lot of time and constant energy. We decided to turn it into a work about solitude and the attempt to create a community exclusively through movement, attempting to fill the void between bodies. We are developing the dramaturgy bearing in mind the variability of the context, the possibility of failure and enjoyment of a dance that does not search for an explosion, does not seek the climax, the success, but remains in a continuous prelude.  We did two trips in the Georgian countryside, in Marneuli and Sagarejo: the enthusiasm of discovering an artist who - in the isolation of his village - builds imaginative puppets, strange creatures, together with the story that everyone carries with ...

Hello, my name is Salome - Dancer, Choreographer, Researcher. I am from Georgia. I am very happy to be a part of this project.  We had the first meeting, where the participants got to know each other, learned who we  are, what we do, what is the purpose of participating in this project, etc.  I think there are more interesting days ahead. On June 3, several of us participated in the Khridoli master class, and Ronelli was held with  the joint efforts of the Georgian National Dance Federation and Tbilisi City Hall.  The master class was conducted by the historian, the president of Khridoli; Martial Arts - Nukri Mchedlishvili.  We heard a lot of interesting information related to Georgian martial arts. How Georgian  warriors fought in different parts of Georgia - in Svaneti, Racha, Pshav, Khevsureti.  We were introduced to different types of combat weapons and had the opportunity to try  them all on ourselves. At the end of the master class, you...

During the first week in Georgia, a great source of inspiration were the workshops led by Kakumoto Atsushi, who flew all the way from the Japanese Theater D'UOMO Ex Machina. The workshops, intended for actors and dancers, focused primarily on mindfulness and being present in the moment. The exercises were based on visual perception and eye contact. It's incredible how much can be built upon these foundations! The workshop facilitator's simple suggestions led to unity and a sense of the group, showcasing improvised "scenes" and also highlighting cultural differences, which heightened curiosity for the next day! By  Jagoda Łukomska საქართველოში პირველი კვირის განმავლობაში შთაგონების დიდი წყარო იყო ვორქშოფები, რომელსაც ხელმძღვანელობდა კაკუმოტო აცუში, რომელმაც მთელი გზა გაფრინდა იაპონური თეატრიდან D'UOMO Ex Machina-დან. ვორქშოპები, რომლებიც განკუთვნილი იყო მსახიობებისა და მოცეკვავეებისთვის, ძირითადად ყურადღებას ამახვილებდა ყურადღებაზე და მომენტში ყოფნაზე. სავარჯიშ...

The beginning of the program is already very interesting. We attended workshops and had much fun. I would say that our trip to Nikozi was special. The village which is on the border of  the Russian occupied territory. We visited art school built by a bishop who is extremely interesting man. And the people are great, full of love for their place, people, profession and country. We heard many stories about the territory itself, about people living there, their success and so on. I had a chance to interview some people so than I can use the information for my upcoming project for residency program. Also I had a chance with Nicolla and Andrea to listen one of the famous Georgian artists who ‘’belong to’’ LGBT community. It was very interesting experience to meet with him and listen so honest answers. We were touched and I understand that reality is really harsh for some people working in that sphere. Generally, I’m very pleased and  I’m sure that following weeks will be more and m...

By  Agnieszka Dubilewicz პირველად რომ უყურებთ ამ ჩარჩოს, შეიძლება იგრძნოთ ზედმეტი სტიმულირება, ქაოტური და დაბნეული. რაც უფრო დიდხანს უყურებთ, მით მეტ დეტალს იცნობთ. ქაოსიდან სტრუქტურა ჩნდება. თქვენს თავზე სკამები ჩნდება, რომლებიც ქმნიან წრეს. მას შემდეგ, რაც დაკავშირება, glued სხვა. ეს კვირა ჩემთვის იყო ზუსტად ის, რასაც ეს ფოტო ეხება. ახალი შესაძლო კავშირების მუდმივი ძიების შესახებ. მოთვინიერების. ყურადღებით და ცნობისმოყვარეობით ყურების შესახებ.

I started researching and thinking about my upcoming performance! The stressful and long way that the refugees went through got my attention. They had so much emotional and physical stress.  The road that is called ‘death way’ is the most interesting for me. That time 1000 Abkhazian refugees had to walk about 250 kilometers. Chuberi Pass need to be mentioned, where many people died. There were children, old people, dead parents who had to carry their dead children by their hands, many died in this process. People who saw everything were aggravated by stress. I found a person who also had to go through this road at the age of 9 and I arranged the interview with him on Sunday at 12. By Kote Liparteliani დავიწყე კვლევა და ფიქრი ჩემს მომავალ შესრულებაზე! სტრესულმა და გრძელმა გზამ, რომელიც გაიარეს ლტოლვილებმა, მიიქცია ჩემი ყურადღება. მათ ძალიან დიდი ემოციური და ფიზიკური სტრესი ჰქონდათ. გზა, რომელსაც "სიკვდილის გზა" ჰქვია, ყველაზე საინტერესოა ჩემთვის. მაშინ 1000 აფხაზ ლტოლვილს დაახ...

The first days in Georgia are filled with a weird sense of familiarity and wonder. The old soviet aesthetics all around us feel so known to me, but at the same time there’s something so foreign - different air, different alphabet, different sense of time. Like a friend who you shared a lot with, but who also has their own story. I process these ideas in my work in a studio, working on a new solo, as well as ok a group project with the Georgian artists. By Monika Błaszczak საქართველოში პირველი დღეები ივსება უცნაური ნაცნობობისა და გაოცების გრძნობით. ძველი საბჭოთა ესთეტიკა ჩვენს ირგვლივ ასე კარგად მეჩვენება, მაგრამ ამავე დროს არის რაღაც ისეთი უცხო - განსხვავებული ჰაერი, განსხვავებული ანბანი, დროის განსხვავებული გრძნობა. მეგობრის მსგავსად, რომელთანაც ბევრს გაუზიარე, მაგრამ რომელსაც ასევე აქვს საკუთარი ისტორია. ამ იდეებს ვამუშავებ სტუდიაში ჩემს ნამუშევრებში, ახალ სოლოზე ვმუშაობ, ასევე ჯგუფურ პროექტს ქართველ არტისტებთან ერთად.

W here to start? Georgia! What a beautiful country, Tbilisi what an interesting city. This week was intense, because I finally entered the hall with a wonderful dancer with whom I will create a duo. At first, I felt a connection with her, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to create something for us, and Georgia with its culture and its wonderful people is definitely one of our inspirations.  By Toni Flego სად უნდა დაიწყოს? საქართველო! რა ლამაზი ქვეყანაა, თბილისი რა საინტერესო ქალაქია. ეს კვირა იყო ინტენსიური, რადგან საბოლოოდ შევედი დარბაზში შესანიშნავ მოცეკვავესთან, რომელთანაც დუეტს შევქმნი. თავიდან ვგრძნობდი მასთან კავშირს, მადლობელი ვარ, რომ საშუალება მაქვს რაღაც შევქმნა ჩვენთვის და საქართველო თავისი კულტურით და შესანიშნავი ხალხით ნამდვილად ჩვენი ერთ-ერთი ინსპირაციაა.

This is only the beginning.  I feel it, I feel that there is something more important and deeper than other things. I feel the space around me, the warm air, the trees and the scent of flowers. The people of Georgia have a kind of beauty that attracts me; as a dancer, choreographer, creator, this connection is one of the best inspirations an artist can have. This residency began a summer of gestures and intentions, of eyes melting into the connection between two bodies. What I felt immediately after meeting and discussing with the. Dancer with whom I will have the pleasure of creating a duo during the residency.  Thanks to this opportunity that allowed us to do this and allowed our bodies to get to know each other as only art can unite. The world in which we live is full of injustices, misunderstandings, and pains of the soul that an artist with feet and a pair of shoes tells through dance.   Very happy and eager to continue the collaboration and connection and make ...

I would like to make impression on our first week of residency in Tbilisi, in Georgia. I can only say thank you for that wonderful experience and being so grateful I am the part of this huge project with such a great researchers, enthusiastic artist and great dancers and performers.  Few days ago, we visited art school in Nikozi village at the border in conflict zone! So grateful for that experience and being able to see what is happening regarding cultural education of children from the village and how local bishop is making a huge effort with the whole community to keep that alive and active.  That is a real bless for some isolated communities. Want to also mention that I meet the drag community individuals and attended the drag show and really enjoyed it and learned that Georgian’s are really trying to keep that community alive and present. So, cheers to that till next week:)             By Sandra Sok მინდა შთაბეჭდილება მოვახდინო თბილისში,...

Discovering places, traces of what used to be, bearing burdens, being beautiful, contradictory, confusing, very oily, dropping, dripping, trying to make the best of it.  By Josipa Bubaš აღმოაჩინე ადგილები, კვალი, რაც იყო, ტვირთის ზიდვა, ლამაზი, წინააღმდეგობრივი, დამაბნეველი, ძალიან ცხიმიანი, წვეთოვანი, წვეთოვანი, ცდილობს საუკეთესოდ გამოიყენოს იგი.