Sutra – Sidi
Larbi Cherkaoui
Sutra, the piece about symbolism, threats and a old and
new world based in China.
It will make you sit at the edge of your seat, for the
history and the special dynamics what comes with the shaolin monks taking part
in it. they build and they take down, they fight, the fall and they stand up
again. They move with wooden crates (made by Antony Gormley) as big as a human,
the look like open coffins and there is one western person with a silver box
with represents the western world.
Sutra starts with a the western(Ali Thabet, in the role
Cherkaoui originally took) and a monk from 10 years old sitting against each
other on the grey block while the other wooden blocks are in the middle of the
theatre and on the grey one you see the blocks in miniature. From here on it
evolves, first the western person is showing a finger and a monk with a two
handed Chinese sword is doing the same movements with the sword as the finger
is doing while the little monk is watching what the finger is doing. The monks
keep the tradition in there fighting style with the ancient phrases they were
doing from the beginning of the shaolin monastery. Like Katja Vaghi (a review
dance writer) says:’Cherkaoui manages to break down Eastern and Western
perceptions of each other and proves that martial arts are poetry in motion’.
They even never leave those phrases of ancient combat and
still you can see a lot of pictures in changing in time in China. The crates
and the struggle humans have are visible, the confrontation with the western
world and the differences in being a personality in one person or being part of
a group in culture. Suddenly they were suits like businessman who are young and
eager but fall again apart and than there is the wall made with the creates
with guards on top. Some of it is really clear and other parts are open for own
thoughts. This piece is an complete and full story with all the time a
question; What is the thread? According to the piece, it is you...
Sutra was performed the first time on 27 may 2008
Link trailer
21 april 2018, stadstheater
Arnhem, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui /
Sadler's Wells
with monniken van de Shaolin-tempel
Visual design Antony
Gormley
Music Szymon Brzóska
Co-produced by Athens Festival, Festival de Barcelona Grec,
Grand Theatre de Luxembourg, La Monnaie Brussels, Festival D'Avignon,
Fondazione Musica per Roma en Shaolin Cultural Communications Company
Ruben Alkema
