Sidi Larbi CherkaouiTimeline, Influences and works

BORN

Born in Anvers Belgium in 1976, to a Flemish mother and Moroccan father, Cherkaoui grew up in a multicultural, multi- lingual household with his father speaking Arabic, Spanish and French and his mother French and Dutch.

“Translation was always a very important part of my life. In Belgium we are surrounded by other cultures so we tend to be very focused on understanding others.”

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School Years

At school he was good at languages and mathematics and enjoyed folk dance classes. At home he loved to draw. “I was raised in Belgium, and we pride ourselves on our painters and artists that work within the visual arts so I think that was a big influence, visualising reality by drawing. I used to draw a lot when I was younger.”

Teenage Years

During his teenage years Cherkaoui loved watching Bruce Lee films fascinated by the Kung Fu movement in them.

Hip Hop was just beginning to influence mainland Europe and inspired by the music videos he saw on television, Cherkaoui began imitating artists such as Janet Jackson and Prince.

Teenage Years

During that time he took part in a dance contest with friends after school and someone from TV invited him to audition for television work, which he did and was successful.

Whilst working for TV he was encouraged by the other dancers to attend classes so he began learning jazz, ballet, hip-hop, flamenco and tap.

1995

In 1995 at the age of 19 Cherkaoui, encouraged by his ballet teacher, entered a dance contest for the Best Belgian dancer, organised by Alain Platel(founder of les ballets C de la B). He won first prize for his solo performance that he had choreographed combining vogueing, hip-hop and African dance.

Wim Vandekeybus was on the jury for the contest along with someone connected to the school of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (P.A.R.T.S – based in Brussels) and they suggested that Cherkaoui enroll at the school for the three-year training programme.

“There I studied the techniques of William Forsythe, Trisha Brown and Pina Bausch. It was a very eclectic dance school that really allowed you to touch on very iconic contemporary dance styles and it was so inspiring to be there. So having experienced contemporary, modern, classical and pop culture dance it helped me to define my own criteria and find my personal voice within it.”

1997-Cherkaoui was invited to join les ballets C de la B in Alain Platel’s ‘Let op Bach’

Influences

CONTEXT for timeline

https://sanjoyroy.net/2013/11/shape-shifter-sidi-larbi-cherkaoui/

Influences on ChoreographicStyle

Multiculturism

Drawing

Pop culture- Bruce Lee (Kung Fu), Prince, Janet Jackson

Alain Platel- founder of Les Ballet C de la B (which he joined in 1997)

Wim Vandekeybus

Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker (Enrolled in her school P.A.R.T.S)

William Forsythe

Trisha Brown

Pina Bausch

Tanztheater influence- Pina Bausch is the most famous exponent of Tanztheater

Tanztheater

-a major influence on Cherkaoui'schoreographic style

A short introduction to Tanztheater

A group of men running in circles playing catch with enormous breeze blocks; a naked woman walking through a field of carnations playing the accordion; one man's stretchy body becoming the rope in a human tug-of-war. Such startling sights are the trademark of tanztheater(literally 'dance theatre' in German), a form that blends dance and everyday movement with theatre, speech, music and clever use of props and sets.

Tanztheater rarely tells a story - not in the way you would expect - but often tells of experience, reminds us of sensations or feelings and chimes with our own memories. It can be baffling, transporting and profoundly touching, sometimes without us even really knowing why.

Choreographic style of hisInfluences

Research the following practitioners

Alain Platel- Les ballet C de la B

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Wim Vandekeybus

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Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker

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William Forsythe

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Trisha Brown

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Pina Bausch

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Cherkaoui’s works

Works

Cherkaoui’s initial pieces were made at les ballets C de la B

Watch the clips and/or read the articles for each piece-note down the

constituent features in each piece.

What performance form do they all relate to?

Rien de Rien2000 Translates to 'nothing at all'

Find out more about the piece

Link one - http://www.east-man.be/en/14/52/

Link Two -https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2001/feb/23/dance.artsfeatures

The show is set in a hybrid space. It looks like a mosque in which the cellist took the place of the imam; the stage, squared down by tapestry, is as much a place of prayer as of dance. A wall in the back holds everyone hostage, with an inscription in Arabic calligraphy that can be read as 'what is forbidden, is most seductive' or 'what is seductive, attracts the forbidden'

legend of the 20th century, Edith Piaf. Non, je ne regrette rien (I have no regrets)

Foi2003

Find out more about the piece

Link one-http://www.east-man.be/en/14/30/Foi

Link Two-https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/apr/05/dance.artsfeatur

es

Link Three-https://www.numeridanse.tv/en/dance-videotheque/foi

link four-https://www.festival-avignon.com/en/shows/2003/foi-faith

Foi revolves around the simple question: what do you believe in?

Watch full piece here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8W1JeIXn_g

Tempus Fugit2004

Find out more about this piece

Link One-http://www.east-man.be/en/14/48/Link Two-https://www.festival-avignon.com/en/shows/2004/tempus-fugitLink Three-http://www.culturekiosque.com/dance/reviews/sidi_larbi_cherkaoui.html

Focusing this time on migration of birds and people (co produced by the late Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal)

Tempus Fugit2004

'Time Flies' in Latin

Watch part one-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31KU1_IOzo8

WorksHe undertook parallel projects that both expanded and consolidated his artistic vision.

Ook, 2002

He worked with dancers and actors that were mentally handicapped/ill –from theater stap (a company for disabled actors)

Find out more about the piece

Link One- http://www.east-man.be/en/14/51/Ook

Watch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HSGvD6hVt4

the overdose of information one handles on a day to day basis

D'avant2002

Find out more about the piece

Link One-https://sanjoyroy.net/2015/06/d-avant-cherkaoui-jalet-dunberry-esnaola/

Link Two-https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/may/07/d-avant-sasha-waltz-and-friends-review-sidi-larbi-cherkaoui

Collaboration with longstanding artistic partner Damien Jalet

the history of male bonding and about mankind’s ability to embrace both the rubbish and the sublime

Watch a clip- https://www.tanzforumberlin.de/en/production/davant/

Zero Degrees2005

Collaboration with Akram Khan and Antony Gormley.

Find out more about the piece

Link One- http://www.east-man.be/en/14/44/

A place of transformation. Cherkaoui and Khan on a journey to seek the reference point, the source, the '0' at life's core.

Watch section one/two -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wQG9BTW5AE

2006Left Les ballet C de la B

2010‘Eastman’

Cherkaoui launched his own company, resident at the Toneelhuis in his home town, called Eastman, the literal translation of his own Arabic surname.

Babel (words)2010collaboration with Damien Jalet and Antony Gormley

Find out more about this piece

Link One- http://www.east-man.be/en/14/20/Babelwords

Link Two-https://bachtrack.com/babel-cherkaoui-jalet-tokyo-september-2014

Watch full piece- https://vimeo.com/196552485?ref=fb-share

explores language and its relationship with nationhood, identity and religion

Puz/zle2012

Find out more about this piece

Link One- http://www.east-man.be/en/14/12/Puzzle

Link Two-https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/apr/25/puzzle-sidi-larbi-cherkaoui-review

the notion of the multiple and of multiplicity rooted in our thought processes and the added question of how things fit together to create a new and distinct identity (like a jigsaw puzzle)

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui‘other work’

Anna Karenina (film) 2012

Cherkaoui choreographed the movement scenes within this film.

Find out more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhtnDkvM1TM

What does this tell us about how contemporary dance is being used?

Beyonce 2017- Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui played a role in creating the dance

routine of American pop singer Beyoncé for the Grammy Awards on 12th February 2017.

USA Today wrote: “Her visual presentation was in a completely different class from anything else at the Grammys so far this year, or most other years.” The pregnant Beyoncé performed ‘Love Drought’ and ‘Sandcastles’ in a show which stood out for its choreography and visual spectacle.

2018- Cherkaoui choreographed movement on the music video ’Apes***’

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/JAGGED-LITTLE-PILLs-Sidi-Larbi-Cherkaoui-Choreographed-Beyonce-and-Jay-Zs-New-Music-Video-Watch-it-Here-20180617

What does this tell us about how contemporary dance is being used?

Woodkid‘2017’

Cherkaoui choreographed movement for Woodkid’s music video ‘I will fall for you’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NZ4n-s-6xI

What does this tell us about how contemporary dance is being used?