Dutch premiere of contemporary 'Swan Lake' opening with score by Georgian composer Kordz

A spin on an iconic Tchaikovsky piece by contemporary Georgian composer Kordz provides the score for a brand-new staging of the Dutch dance troupe Club Guy and Roni, with the bill that opened in Groningen this week.

The musical artist has created an adaptation of the timeless classic Swan Lake by the Russian composer for the company's production of the same name, with a multi-show performance series set to present the creation in both physical spaces and online livestreams.

Directed by Guy Weizman, co-founder of the troupe, the staging is seen as a "remix" of the famed ballet, with a twist on the current COVID-19 pandemic and societal questions on future in the prospective aftermath of the crisis.

Nothing stays the way it was in this Swan Lake, including the eclectic music of Georgian/Swiss multi-talent Kordz who lets the musicians go all out with the famous sounds of [Tchaikovsky]."

How should we proceed now that the combined black swan of Covid-19 and the climate crisis has upended our fairy-tale democratic, liberal consumer’s paradise? Will we start a new story together?", a summary for the show from the company asks.

The work on the score initially envisioned an hour-long piece for a quartet of piano and percussion artists, with rapid changes in the sound and performance, however rehearsals showed a necessity for adapting it for dancers, the composer told at.ge in an interview ahead of the bill.

The contemporary composer also told the interview the work on the production was his first for a dance-led staging, with his version of the musical piece in the works for nearly a year. Original plans involved a live performance by Kordz himself, however the actual shows will see other artists play the score on stage.

The cast for the show involves dancers including Georgian-born Sofiko Nachkebiya, who has been part of the Dutch troupe since 2014, when she left a classical dance company in Russia to make a switch to contemporary productions.

Beside the dancer line-up, the Swan Lake bill sees choreography by co-founder Roni Haver, sets by Ascon de Nijs and costumes by Maison the Faux, with lighting design by Maarten van Rossem. Rik van den Bos contributed as writer, with graphic design by Martijn Halie and dramaturgy by Robbert van Heuven.

Kordz has been recognised for his work in Georgia, with selections for performances including at last year's Digital Tbilisi contemporary festival and shortlisting for the 2017 Tsinandali Award in Music. He also performed at the 2018 Frankfurt River Bank Festival, where Georgia was showcased as Host Country.