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?