The Unforgettable Visual Art of Sasha Waltz
On October 20-21, Georgian International Festival of Arts ‘GIFT’ was held in Tbilisi in honor of Michael Tumanishvili. Held in association with the Auswärtiges Amt - Federal Foreign Office, and Goethe-Institut Georgien, the festival celebrates the German-Georgian Year 2017 and is entitled ‘Zukunft Erben’ – ‘Future Inheritance" presented Sasha Waltz & Guests. After performances in Zurich, Paris, London, Athens, Brussels, Luxemburg and New York, Georgian audiences were treated to ‘Continu’, one of the most outstanding performances of the world-famous dancer and choreographer, Sasha Waltz, at Zakaria Paliashvili Georgian State Opera and Ballet Theater.
This is a performance that breaks the law of gravity. In ‘Continu’, Sasha Waltz has orchestrated some of the most extraordinary spectacles, which became more recognized over the last ten years. The long-awaited spectacle was a sell-out. “I think this is a very important event. It shows the tension between society and individuals, but also the tension between nature and energy. We are extremely happy that Sasha Waltz’s company could perform in Tbilisi with such a big group, 24 dancers. Two years ago, she came with 7 dancers only. She was so enthusiastic about Georgia and Tbilisi that this time she wanted to come with a really big group. This was made possible thanks to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who invited this group for the German-Georgian year,” Barbara Von Munchhausen, Director of Goethe Institute, told us.
The long silence is shifted by the music of Iannis Xenakis, Edgard Vareze, Claude Vivier and thhe great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Rather than framing ‘Continu’ within a biographical context, it’s perhaps more accurate to see it as a possible conclusion to Waltz’s continual preoccupation with the relationship between space and body, between individuals and a group, or society in light of the recent events and experiences of violence, migration and the diversity of cultural identities, which unfold new ways of perceiving this piece. Jochen Sandig, Director and Founder of Sasha Waltz & Guests dance company, talked about each of the two parts of the performance: “'Continu’ is a piece which has many dimensions. Sasha Waltz does not want to explain every detail, because it is meant for the audience to interpret themselves. There are two contrasting parts, the first part is much more violent and cruel, based on destruction. The second part is more optimistic and looking to the future. In the second part, we can see people trapped together in one box. How they interact with each other is very interesting.”
“With Sasha Waltz, the music often begins late. In this case, it was a dialogue between architecture and movement. We worked at the museum where we developed most of the choreography. It was a very specific building in Berlin. We worked in different rooms. Each room was architecturally very individual. Dancers responded to the size and decoration of the premise. It was translated into this minimalistic context, which gives it another meaning. It gives some freedom to the audience, enabling them interpret something entirely difference. The music and dramatic orchestra are the extension of the physical expression,” Steffen Doring, Assistant of Sasha Waltz, noted in talks with GEORGIA TODAY. As for the Georgian audience, he said that they are very lively.
“I love Sasha Waltz. I consider her to be one of the best choreographers of the modern art. I have seen several performances of hers. Nevertheless, I am attending ‘Continu’ for the first time. Human bodies make a miracle, painting different paintings, which are extremely impressive and beautiful, as in all other performances of hers,” Kote Purtseladze, famous Georgian choreographer, told GEORGIA TODAY.
Maka Lomadze