Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

PROJECT#10 - A HORIZON is an attempt to create, while clearing the mind of obstructions and merely trusting the unknown. Trying to overrule distortion and to rise above the unnecessary noise, longing for a new paradigm; a contemporary way of understanding the whole and each other. Breaking through prevailing conditioning that limits the exploration of what we no longer perceive and desperately seek to re-establish.

A man ahead of his time, Cyrano de Bergerac dazzles whether with ferocious wordplay at a verbal joust or with brilliant swordplay in a duel. But, convinced that his appearance renders him unworthy of the love of a devoted friend, the luminous Roxanne, Cyrano has yet to declare his feelings for her—and Roxanne has fallen in love, at first sight, with Christian.

As we, the world and all creation are experiencing a collective transition, a new future awaits us all. Space & time become utter necessities for the acceptance of a new state of being, while our wounds slowly heal. In all humbleness, the CYCLE collection offers an alternative to help us through the now. A bright red, encouraging life force and passion for creation... an ode to love. Smoothly textured fabrics with soft caresses, sensible colors chosen to highlight the new cycle we are entering. The elements are in constant rotation.

SUNU is a collaborative fashion short film on the new AW21 Project#9 SUNU from Antwerp based designer Jan - Jan Van Essche. The collective idea SUNU, meaning ‘our’ in the Wolof language, summarizes the sentiment of unity, fragility and inclusive interconnectivity. A sense of responsibility towards each other and what surrounds us. A solid bond, a strong connection, which needs to be cherished and praised but simultaneously guarded.

In Mea Culpa, the Belgian-Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui explores a shared sense of guilt that is passed on from generation to generation and continues to affect the present day. Inequality, discrimination, colonization and slavery are questioned from the perspective of both perpetrator and victim. The compositions of Heinrich Schütz, one of the key figures on the border between Renaissance and Baroque, are permeated by the same themes and put reconciliation first.

Christopher Wheeldon's Within the Golden Hour is based around seven couples separating and intermingling, to music by Vivaldi and Ezio Bosso and lit with the rich colours suggested by sunset. In Flight Pattern, Crystal Pite combines Górecki's haunting “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” with a large dance ensemble to create a poignant and passionate reflection on migration. Between them, Medusa is new work inspired by the Greek myth, created for The Royal Ballet by the acclaimed choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, which juxtaposes Purcell arias with an electronic score by Olga Wojciechowska.

As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father's death but paralyzed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state.

This documentary explores Kate Bush's career and music, from January 1978's Wuthering Heights to her 2011 album 50 Words for Snow, through the testimony of some of her key collaborators and those she has inspired.

In Imperial Russia, Anna, the wife of the officer Karenin, goes to Moscow to visit her brother. On the way, she meets the charming cavalry officer Vronsky to whom she is immediately attracted. But in St. Petersburg’s high society, a relationship like this could destroy a woman’s reputation.

Foi revolves around the simple question: what do you believe in? Set in a triangular post 9-11 site designed by Rufus Didwiszus, peculiar protagonists wake up realizing they survived a disaster and try to find a way out of this no exit place. They are surrounded by intangible, invisible angel-like dancing beings, who manipulate the gestures and actions of the colorful actors, sometimes tender, sometimes ill-intentioned. Each time they think they're safe, another catastrophe hits them, from an earthquake to a gas leak to being slaughtered by a hammer. Yet every time the chatty characters survive, as if something was still unfinished, their destiny unfulfilled. The drama is supported by the 14th century ars nova compositions interpreted live by the singers and musicians of Capilla Flamenca.

Nomad transports the audience to the desert: Eleven dancers incarnate its vast expanse in all its beauty and terror. An atmospheric piece by the Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

In the acclaimed SUTRA Sidi Larbi has collaborated closely with Turner Prize winning artist Antony Gormley and Polish composer Szymon Brzóska. Gormley’s striking set design and Brzóska’s beautiful score set the scene for this mesmerising show. The seventeen Monks performing in SUTRA are from the original Shaolin Temple, situated near Dengfeng City in the Henan Province of China and established in 495AD. In 1983 the State Council defined the Shaolin Temple as the key national Buddhist Temple and the Monks still follow a strict Buddhist doctrine, of which Kung-Fu & Tai Chi martial arts are an integral part of their daily regime.

Memento Mori. Remember that you must die. The time-honoured Latin expression became the starting point for a highly introspective performance. Cherkaoui analyses a sense of boredom that imbues our daily lives, the fleetingness of life and the question of what remains after we die. The atmospheric music of the French singer-songwriter Woodkid supplies an emotionally rich soundscape. In both of these personal performances, Cherkaoui connects the classical ballet technique with his own highly individual, 'fluid' contemporary dance idiom, which is steeped in countless influences. It is never about the movement itself, but always, the connection between two sequences. These create an eternal language of movement that also reflects the theme of flourishing and decline, loss and memory, in the dance.

In the acclaimed SUTRA Sidi Larbi has collaborated closely with Turner Prize winning artist Antony Gormley and Polish composer Szymon Brzóska. Gormley’s striking set design and Brzóska’s beautiful score set the scene for this mesmerising show. The seventeen Monks performing in SUTRA are from the original Shaolin Temple, situated near Dengfeng City in the Henan Province of China and established in 495AD. In 1983 the State Council defined the Shaolin Temple as the key national Buddhist Temple and the Monks still follow a strict Buddhist doctrine, of which Kung-Fu & Tai Chi martial arts are an integral part of their daily regime.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Ballets Russes, Sadler’s Wells commissioned four of today’s leading and acclaimed choreographers to create one work each honouring the legacy of impresario Sergei Diaghilev. IN THE SPIRIT OF DIAGHILEV features Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun, Russell Maliphant’s AfterLight (Part One), Wayne McGregor’s Dyad 1909 and the controversial Eternal Damnation to Sancho and Sanchez by Javier de Frutos. Specially filmed interview content offer viewers the unique opportunity to take a look behind the scenes at the works in rehearsal, as the collaborators share their thoughts on the enduring influence of Diaghilev and the remarkable collaborative spirit of the Ballets Russes. The performances involve collaborations with artists and filmmakers Jane and Louise Wilson, acclaimed composer Nitin Sawhney and costumes by leading fashion designer Hussein Chalayan.