Introduction

Three-part choreographic performance "Evening song. So good. CHECK OUT.” a synthesis of dance and physical theatre that describes the chronic post-traumatic condition.

By combining the body memory of 5 female dancers with collective traumas, the performance, on the one hand, shows the drama of people stuck in one place for a long time in a constantly changing time and space, and on the other hand, with sharp, sometimes melancholic humour, it tries to talk about the reasons and circumstances that society forgets collectively and hides the trauma.

Hotel "Georgia", in which this performance is made and performed, is a symbol of this forgetting and banishing trauma. Located on one of the city's main avenues, the once glorious hotel no longer serves its function. Over time, it has been sold multiple times, and its purpose has shifted from a casino to a club, a legal company, or unexpected shelter.

In 2023, when the performance was staged, 30 years after the war in Abkhazia, IDPs were still living "temporarily" in the Hotel Georgia.

The performance from the Hotel Georgia creates a kind of living memorial in the imagination of the audience, which opens up the possibility of travelling within oneself, acknowledging the trauma and ending it.

* By following this idea, performances can be created in various cities and buildings, each uniquely tailored to the history and context of the chosen site. This approach ensures that the essence of exploring liminal spaces and non-places remains central, while allowing for diverse and location-specific narratives to unfold.[a]

Oh, what a privilege it is, to be ALIVE Right here

The first part of the performance takes place on the 4th floor of the hotel. The audience will find themselves in the long-defunct soviet hotel’s interior, with windows overlooking the evening city.

This piece is a 5 solo dances about insurmountable traumas. All five of them are located in the same physical space, although their stories do not enter into dialogue with each other. Often structures are repeated, movements are mirrored, anticipations are repeated, but the pain remains unshared.

In this masculine architecture, women crash the massive columns and walls, open the windows, close them with a noise. As if something or someone precious might return, but the anticipation of this joy turns into a sudden disaster.

The melancholic calmness of the evening grows in the anxiety of the people who survived the war.

The evening song ends with the slow and unhurried movement of the woman returning from the bread line towards the corridor.

It is already night in the windows, and the viewer is instructed to go down one floor.

OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

The second part takes place in the balcony hall. The audience watches the joyous dance of the "Synchronised Swimmers of the Waterless Pool" from above.

Everything around us is solemn and hysterically trying to convince us that everything is very well!

The last part of the performance is without music. The only sound we hear is a repeated instruction: "CHECK OUT, PLEASE!"

At first, the dancers appear on the stairs with bags, and then start moving towards the exit, following semi-structured directions.

Gradually, the dance and the soundscape return to an extremely grounded reality.

The dancers move to the hotel lobby with the audience, go out into the street, fill the pavement with bags, and then disappear.

Producer - Nino Davadze

Concept - Nino Davadze, Tamri Okhikiani, Natia Chikvaidze, Davit Khorbaladze

Playwright and director - Davit Khorbaladze

Choreographer - Natia Chikvaidze

Composer - Nino Davadze

Set and costumes - Tamri Okhikiani

Lights - Aleksandre Gujabidze

Cast - Anastasia Kovalenko, Marina Makasarashvili, Tano Chkheidze, Natia Chikvaidze, Valeria Khripatch

Poster - Iva Kimeridze

Photo in the poster - Saba Shengelia

Video of the performance - Saveliy Sharkov

Operator of the documentary - Rati Dolidze

Web-design - Levan Khvaratskhelia

Supported by: “Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group” (WISG); Tbilisi City Hall; Women’s Fund in Georgia; Culture, Sport and Youth Affairs Agency of Abkhazia.