Practitioner Study 2

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui created Babel in collaboration with Damien Jalet, another ground-breaking contemporary choreographer. These forces join together to create a spectacle on stage, utilising ‘5 huge 3-dimensional frames’ (Eastman, 2021) to manoeuvre and weave in and out of the choreography. The choreography creatively depicts movement that ‘explores language and its relationship with nationhood, identity and religion.’ (Eastman, 2021)


(Eastman, 2010)

This piece seems to share similar themes to Cherkaoui’s work ‘Sutra’, which included themes of solace and representing different cultures and exchanges. Whilst Sutra was more of a personal journey for Cherkaoui, this production depicts a narrative of an array of people and cultures, ‘the tale of Babel represents the gates to enlightenment, to others - chaos, confusion and conflict.’ (Eastman, 2021) The movement style in Sutra incorporates martial arts, hip hop and acrobatics, creating a unique style for the piece. With Babel, however, the choreography appears a lot more simplistic, with gestures and shapes made from the dancers' bodies making up the foundation of the choreography. I found this to be quite effective, nonetheless, as the simple gestures help to communicate the narrative, and as an audience member, you are entranced by the beauty of the imagery created within the space.


(Eastman, 2010)

I have incorporated silence and minimalistic elements to my musical score, which I took inspiration from Sutra. The minimalism creates more of an intensity between the audience, encouraging engagement and pulling their focus onto the choreography, allowing them to focus on the powerfulness of the movement and the intentions behind it, especially when the piece contains important and educational messages.

Bibliography

Eastmanvzw (2011) Babel (Words) - Eastman / Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Damien Jalet. Video. Available at Babel(words) - Eastman / Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Damien Jalet (youtube.com) [Accessed 16th December 2023] 

Eastman (2021) Project / Babel (Words) Available at Eastman | Overview (east-man.be) [Accessed 16th December 2023]

Eastman (2010) Project / Babel (Words) Photograph. Available at Eastman | Overview (east-man.be) [Accessed 16th December 2023]



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