A Georgian Night
FT. FEMKE GYSELINCK & ANUSHKA CHKHEIDZE + TAMO NASIDZE + ZESKNEL + DJ AMI + ANUSHKA CHKHEIDZE SOLO — HOSTED BY EUROPALIA x LUNAR x NONA
LUNAR X EUROPALIA GEORGIA X NONA
Nona, Lunar (promoting electronic music in Mechelen since 2015) and europalia georgia invite Georgian electronic artist Anushka Chkheidze and Belgian dancer and choreographer Femke Gyselinck for a first collaboration. The (live) electronics of Georgian musicians Tamo Nasidze, Anushka Chkeidze solo, Zesknel and DJ Ami (Liaison Collective) will further bring the evening up to speed.
TIMETABLE
20:30-21:15 Femke Gyselinck & Anushka Chkheidze — 324 Mountains Between Us
21:30-22:15 Tamo Nasidze (live)
22:30-23:15 Anushka Chkheidze solo (live)
23:30-00:15 Zesknel (live)
00:15-02:00 DJ Ami (Liaison Collective)
Het standaardticket geeft je toegang tot het hele programma. Met het aparte partyticket ben je vanaf 21:30 welkom op de dansvloer. Georgian grooves galore!
324 MOUNTAINS BETWEEN US
Gyselinck is on a five-year trajectory in nona and recently presented Moving Ballads (2020), Letters 2 Dance (2022) and Change of Plans (2023), which was part of the two-day Get A Grip she curated. She seeks a close connection between expressive, unspectacular movement and live music, combined with a bold but modest performativity. Anushka Chkheidze is currently in the Master of Music programme in Utrecht and has been garnering acclaim in recent years. Her sound evolves through the styles as she explores forms of ambient and other adventurous electronic music. The combination of Femke's danced vocabulary and Anushka's translation of polyphony results in a unique creation.
Europalia acted as a matchmaker between artists Anushka Chkheidze and Femke Gyselinck – one a musician-composer from Georgia, the other a dancer-choreographer from Belgium – and initiated this meeting. As many as 324 mountains stand between Belgium and Georgia, or between Anushka and Femke. And yet, despite this seemingly unbridgeable gap, a connection sometimes can arise. Distance doesn’t stand in the way of intimacy. It is a paradox to play with.
The two women made a pact. They probe, measure, count. They trace a mysterious course in the space available, an imaginary journey in 324 stages. In it, Femke again seeks a close connection between expressive, unspectacular movements and live music, combined with a bold but modest performativity. Anushka’s sound evolves through styles beyond ambient and IDM. The chords in her compositions refer to Georgian polyphony, which she looks at from her perspective and knowledge. In 324 mountains between us, the artists show how Femke’s danced vocabulary and Anushka’s electronic compositions can sometimes bridge the distance between them but sometimes also increase that same distance.
TAMO NASIDZE
Tamar (Tamo) Nasidze is a Tbilisi-based musician. Her rich musical background ranges from Georgian traditional music to alternative rock, pop and jazz. Her passion for polyphonic music led her to study as a choral conductor at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. Alongside her academic studies, she explores experimental electronic music, resulting in a unique and innovative musical style.
ANUSHKA CHKHEIDZE SOLO
Anushka Chkheidze is an up-and-coming Georgian electronica producer. As a child, she sang folk songs in the youth ensemble, and at 11 she started singing in a small village chapel. Her electronic music is heavily influenced by those musical childhoods. The 23-year-old producer also makes music for film and theatre. On debut album Halfie, she discovers a completely new side of herself by playing with ambient and classical influences. Second record Move 20-21, in turn, is a journey for the mind through space and time.
ZESKNEL
Zesknel is the alias of Georgian musician Zurab Babunashvili. His improvised live performances are based on intuitive perceptions and abstract sounds that come together in ritual unity. Zurab is a resident at the Tbilisi club Bassiani and a member of the radio platform Mutant Radio. He brings spontaneous sounds across the frequency spectrum: serene, purging, awkward and absurd. Expect some noise.
DJ AMI
AMI is a non-binary DJ who sees music as a means of communication. It fascinates them to see how people react when they listen to music and dance. Music allows them to break free and form a community during raves. Them is an active member and co-founder of the Liaison Collective in Brussels, which works to support queer newcomers through music and works to raise awareness of the issue of queer migration in society.
Credits 324 Mountains Between Us
dans & choreografie: Femke Gyselinck • muziek: Anushka Chkheidze • scenografie: Aslı Çiçek • projectassistentie scenografie: Olivia de Bree • kostuums: Nel Maertens, Veronika Vimpelova • dansdramaturgie: Steven Michel • lichtontwerp: Elke Verachtert • geluid: Milan Van Doren • stage: Lien Agten • opdracht & coproductie: europalia georgia • uitvoerend producent: GRIP • internationale spreiding: A Propic – Line Rousseau, Marion Gauvent, Lara van Lookeren • coproductie: Perpodium • residenties: workspacebrussels, KWP Kunstenwerkplaats, kunstencentrum nona, corso, December Dance, Théâtre Varia, GC De Kriekelaar, VIERNULVIER • met de steun van: de Vlaamse Overheid, Tax Shelter Maatregel van de Belgische Federale Overheid via Cronos Invest • gepresenteerd door: Lunar Mechelen, kunstencentrum nona en europalia georgia