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Babel

A choreographic work by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Damien Jalet join forces with British visual artist Antony Gormley to create Babel (words), a dance performance that explores language and its relationship with nationhood, identity and religion.

Taking the tale of the Tower of Babel as their starting point, Antony Gormley’s huge three-dimensional frames hint at a nameless intersection in a faceless future-city near the border of no-man’s land. We watch as the action flows from private to public, intimate to extrovert, and individual to collective – while choices of faith, space and community are made – and we are reminded that while for some, the story of Babel represents the gateway to enlightenment, for others it represents chaos, confusion and conflict.

As with their previous collaborations, the show is informed by a profound ‘belief in the belief that something matters’. Babel (words) takes us on a search for what that something might be, telling both a bold and tender story of personal, physical, cultural, political and linguistic boundaries, and guessing all the time at what it is that unites rather than divides us.

Babel is the culmination of three distinct journeys: firstly, it is the final part in Cherkaoui’s internationally acclaimed Foi and Mythe triptych, secondly it reunites him with Antony Gormley, following the success of Zero Degrees with Akram Khan and Sutra with the Shqolin monks. And finally, it honours a decade of collaboration with co-choreographer, Damien Jalet.

Calendar

Brussels (Belgium), Cirque Royal, 27 – 30 april 2010
Zurich (Switzeland) Theaterhaus Gessnerallee, 4 – 5 may 2010
Geneva (Switzerland), BFM, 8 – 9 may 2010
Neuchatel (Switzerland), Théâtre du Passage, 11 may 2010
London (UK), Sadler’s Wells, 18 – 19 may 2010
Madrid (Spain), Teatro de Madrid, Festival de Otoño, 28 – 30 may 2010
Ludwigsburg (Germany), Forum am Schlosspark, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, 5 – 6 june 2010
Luxemburg (Luxemburg), Grand Théâtre, 8 – 9 june 2010
Paris (France), Grande Halle de la Villette, 1 – 3 et 5 – 7 july 2010
Tivoli (Italy), Villa Adriana (Tivoli), 16 – 17 july 2010
Den Bosch (Netherlands), Theater aan de Parade, Theaterfestival Boulevard, 7 – 8 august 2010
Turnhout (Belgium), De Warande, 11 september 2010
Groningen (Netherlands), Stadsschouwburg Groningen, 17 – 18 september 2010
Gent (Belgium), Capitole, 4 – 5 october 2010
Metz (France), L’Arsenal, 8 – 9 october 2010
Amsterdam (Netherlands), Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, 12-13 october 2010
Genk (Belgium), Cultuurcentrum Genk, 16 october 2010
Dijon (France), Opéra de Dijon, 21 – 22 october 2010
Santk Polten (Austria), Festpelhaus St. Polten, 30 october 2010
Lille (France), Opéra de Lille, 5 – 7 november 2010
Rouen (France), Automne en Normandie, 15 – 16 november 2010
Rotterdam (Netherlands), Rotterdamse Schouwburg, 23 – 24 november 2010
Nice (France), Théâtre National de Nice, 3 – 5 december 2010
Berlin (Germany), Berliner Festspiele, 9 – 11 december 2010
Antwerp (Belgium), de singel, 16 – 19 december 2010
Lyon (France), Maison de la Danse, 13 – 15 january 2011

Team

13 dancers and 5 musicians have been assembled from 13 countries across 5 continents to work together on a project almost as ambitious, imaginative, determined and skilled as the building of the tower of Babel itself.

Choreography: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet
Visual design: Antony Gormley
Assistant choreographer: Nienke Reehorst
Costume design: Alexandra Gilbert
Light design: Adam Carrée
Dramaturgy: Lou Cope
Created and interpreted by: Navala Chaudhari, Francis Ducharme, Darryl E. Woods, Jon Filip Fahlstrom, Damien Fournier, Ben Fury, Paea Leach, Christine Leboutte, Ulrika Kinn Svensson, Kazutomi Kozuki, Moya Michael, James O'Hara, Helder Seabra
Music: Patrizia Bovi, Mahaboub Khan, Sattar Khan, Gabriele Miracle, Shogo Yoshii
Traditional Turkish musical counsellor: Fahrettin Yarkin

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui debut as a choreographer was in 1999 with Andrew Wale’s ‘contemporary musical’ Anonymous Society. Since then, he has made more than fifteen full-fledged choreographic pieces and picked up a slew of awards including the Fringe First Award in Edinburgh, the Special Prize at the BITEF Festival in Belgrade, the Promising Choreographer prize at the Nijinski Awards in Monte Carlo, the Movimentos Award in Germany, and the Helpmann Award from Australia in 2007. In August 2008, Ballet Tanz awarded him the title of Choreographer of the Year for his work across the 2007-2008 season. In the same year, Sadler’s Wells, London, named him an Associate Artist. In 2009, the Alfred Toëpfer Stiftung conferred its Kairos Prize on him in recognition of his artistic philosophy and his quest for cultural dialogue.

While Cherkaoui’s initial pieces were made as core member of the Belgian collective Les Ballets C. de la B. – Rien de rien (2000), Foi (2003), Tempus Fugit (2004), he also undertook parallel projects that both expanded and consolidated his artist vision: Ook (2000) was born from a workshop for mentally disabled actors held by Theater Stap in Turnhout with choreographer Nienke Reehorst; D’avant (2002) from an encounter with longstanding artistic partner Damien Jalet, Juan Kruz Diaz de Garaio Esnaola and Luc Dunberry of Sasha Waltz & Guests company, and Zero Degrees (2005) with choreographer friend Akram Khan.

He has worked with a variety of theatres, opera houses and ballet companies, ranging from Sadler’s Wells in London (Sutra, 2008), Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels (Apocrifu, 2007), Ballets Cullberg in Stockholm (End, 2006), Monte Carlo Ballets (Mea culpa, 2006, and In memoriam, 2004) and the Grand Théâtre in Geneva (Loin, 2005). But Cherkaoui’s base since 2006 has been Antwerp where for three years he was associate artist at Het Toneelhuis, the theatre that produced Myth (2007) and Origine (2008). After his first commissioned piece in North America, Orbo Novo – made for the New York-based Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in July 2009 – and a series of duets such as Faun for James O’Hara and Daisy Phillips, and Dunas with flamenco danseuse Maria Pagés (both in October 2009), he commences 2010 with the launch of Eastman, his new company, resident at Het Toneelhuis. He starts the year with the revival of Foi. In spring 2010, Cherkaoui reunites with co-choreographer Damien Jalet and visual artist Antony Gormley to make Babel, the third part of a triptych that began with Foi and continued with Myth.

Damien Jalet was born in Belgium in 1976. He started his dance career with Wim Vandekeybus on the show The Day of Heaven and Hell in 1998. In 2000 he began an intense journey by collaborating with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui as his artistic partner within the company LES BALLETS C. DE LA B. They created Rien de rien (2000), Foi (2003), Tempus Fugit (2004), and Myth (2007). In 2002 he created the piece D'avant in collaboration with Cherkaoui, Luc Dunberry and Juan Kruz Diaz de Garaio Esnaola. This piece still tours globally. In 2006 created the short duet Aleko for the Museum of Contemporary Art of Aomori, Japan, in collaboration with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Alexandra Gilbert. In March 2008 his " three spells" premiered at the Tokyo International Arts Festival with live music by Christian Fennesz.

He has been collaborating with a wide variety of opera houses, theatres and dance compagnies like the Opera of Stuttgart, the American Repertory Theater - Boston, the festival d'Avignon, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the Ballet, the Grand Theatre of Geneva, and the Cullberg Ballet. In 2009 he co-directed with Erna Omarsdottir the piece "Black Marrow" for the australian company Chunky Move, which premiered in the respected Melbourne Arts Festival. Damien Jalet stars with Alexandra Gilbert in the video "you don't know love" from Editors.

Co-producers: Fondation d'entreprise Hermès, Etablissement Public du Parc et de la Grande Halle de la Villette (Paris), Sadler's Wells (London), Festival Boulevard (Den Bosch, the Netherlands), Festspielhaus (St. Pölten), Grand Theatre of Luxembourg, International Dance Festival Switzerland - Migros Culture Percentage, Fondazione Musica per Roma (Rome) and theLudwigsburger Schlossfestspiele (Germany). Babel (words) was co-commissioned by DASH ARTS (U.K.) as part of the Dash Arabic Series (Arab Arts Season 2010), and is supported by the Garrick Charitable Trust.

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