White Poplar

Experimental Dance and Theater Platform – Circe and Metallique for the first time in its existence, will be performing on an international “Zawirowania Dance Festival”in Warsaw, on the 25 of June, 19:00 with the performance “White Poplar”

White poplar is a performance combining theater, choreography and poetry. A tree as a symbol of life, with roots planted under the ground, as if a mediator between the earth and the sky. This beautiful tree is mentioned several times in the Bible, it is also a sacred tree in ancient Greek mythology. The performance is made with the inspiration from Galaktion Tabidze’s poem “Asp Trees”.

Credits :

dancers : Xosilita Xose Xositashvili , Mariam sakvarelidze

Director and Choreographer- Maka Kiladze

Musician – Nathalie Basilaia

Artist – Sofo Kob

Video Editing – Giorgi Tavshavadze

Project Manager – Sophia Mtvilishvili

Concept :

Jacob took raw sticks of poplar, almond, and maple, and galloped one by one, so that white stripes appeared on the sticks.” (Genesis 30;37) “He took the seed of the land and sowed it in a fertile field; He planted it by abundant waters and planted it like a willow tree. (Ezekiel 17:5)

“Poplar” – his plant is found only a few times in the Bible. “Tsaptsafa Makrifa” – as it is mentioned in the ancient Georgian manuscripts of the Bible under the name “Bratsi” (“grackle tree”). In the primary historical sources, there is a place called “Garkali” where people lived since ancient times, which is confirmed by the tombs of the Middle and Late Bronze Age traced here. Gakli kurgan Valley — an archaeological monument is located in the village of Grakal of Kaspi municipality, at the western end of the Ashurian Valley, on the left terrace of the Mtkvari River. It dates from the Middle Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age. The first kurgan is located on the outskirts of the village. It dates back to BC. year In the first half of the 2th millennium.

Herakles brought the White poplar into Greece from Thesprotia. He found the white poplar growing on the banks of the Akheron, the river in Thesprotia, and for this reason Homer calls it Akherois. The Thesprotian river Akheron was identified with the underworld stream, and the white poplar was the sacred tree of the god Hades.

Bitten by a poisonous snake, Hercules / Heracles found a mythical antidote in poplar leaves. The tonic is used for strangery and blood and skin diseases.

Hercules wove himself a wreath from the tree which Hades had planted. The outer leaves of this wreath remained black, because that is the color of the Underworld; but those next to Hercules’ brow were bleached a silver-white by his glorious sweat. Hence the white poplar, or aspen, is sacred to him;

Leuce/Leuka, the “White Poplar”; Leuce or Leuka (Ancient Greek: Λεύκη) (“White” or specifically “White Poplar”) was the most beautiful of the nymphs and an Oceanid, a daughter of Oceanus. Hades fell in love with her and abducted her to the underworld. She lived out the span of her life in his realm, and when she died, the god sought consolation by creating a suitable memorial of their love: In the Elysian Fields, where the pious spend their afterlives, he brought forth a white tree into existence from her body, which became sacred for him from that moment on.