Four ‘Swan Lake’ homages swim onto Tel Aviv stage
Stuttgart-based Gauthier Dance performs 4 separate works, with one by Israeli Hofesh Shechter, all inspired by Tchaikovsky classic
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Choreographer Eric Gauthier brings the iconic “Swan Lakes” to the Israeli Opera house in Tel Aviv this week on October 20-22, with a performance of works by four choreographers, all inspired by the renowned ballet “Swan Lake.”
The Stuttgart, Germany-based Gauthier Dance is known for its repertoire of original, often humorous works that include choreography by the Montreal-born Gauthier as well as pieces by colleagues including Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, whose work is part of “Swan Lakes.”
“Swan Lakes” is an homage to the classical ballet that was originally set to Tchaikovsky’s familiar score. Gauthier likes to say that he looked for one choreographer to offer a new take to the original “Swan Lake,” but found it too hard to choose just one, and ended up inviting four.
(The production is a precursor to another Gauthier project, “The Dying Swans,” which was inspired by Mikhail Fokin’s legendary solo “The Dying Swan,” and created during the height of the pandemic, to give hope and work to artists. It was released online in April 2021.)
While “Swan Lakes” was inspired by the classical ballet, it offers a wildly contemporary program and something of a mashup of Tchaikovsky’s score.
There’s an electro-score by cellist Peter Gregson in Cayetano Sato’s “Untitled for 7 Dancers” work and Oriental, folkloric tunes in Shechter’s piece.
Gauthier Dance’s artist-in-residence Marco Goecke created “Shara Nur” for the “Swan Lakes” program, with a characteristically dark, ominous mood and music by Icelandic singer Björk.
“The four choreographies are full of surprises,” wrote Gauthier in an email interview. “The four pieces are definitely independent – like it says in the title: ‘Swan Lakes’ in the plural. Once you’ve seen the complete show, however, you will certainly agree: In the end, they add up to one ‘Swan Lake.'”
This is the Gauthier Dance’s third tour in Israel, and Gauthier says that his troupe always connects well with Israeli audiences, perhaps because he regularly collaborates with Israeli choreographers, including Batsheva’s Ohad Naharin, and Sharon Eyal, Itzik Galili and Nadav Zelner.
“In a way, I feel that performing in Israel is almost like taking our programs home,” wrote Gauthier, “to where they belong.”
