Discover Benelux | Cover Interview | Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI
The dance explorer From choreographing Olivier Award-winning productions to collaborating with Beyoncé, Belgian dance supremo Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui has been at the top of the game for over two decades now. With his company, Eastman, the Antwerp-native is known for defying genres while uniting art forms, cultures and traditions. Taking a quick break from rehearsals in New York for his latest surprise venture — choreographing the Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill — we caught up with the versatile artist to find out more about the inspiration behind some of modern dance’s most iconic moments. TEXT: ANNA VILLELEGER | PHOTO: RAHI REZVANI
“I’m an observer. You could say my one talent is that I pay attention,” grins Cherkaoui. Humble words from a man who has collaborated with an abundance of theatres, opera houses and ballet companies, and whose critically acclaimed productions continue to push boundaries and scoop awards across the globe. So where does he find his inspiration? “Reality is endless and it never stops inspiring you — you just have to tap into it,” he explains. “Even an elevator ride can become a whole experience for me — the speed it’s making, the sound, the type of people stepping in, the anxiety of thinking ‘is it gonna stop?’. I think everything is an adventure. It’s all about observation.”
Connecting the dots Born in Flanders in 1976, Cherkaoui had an affinity for the arts from an early age.
“When I was a kid I was more of a loner — drawing in my corner. That was my first expression in art,” he recalls, “but I got into dancing because I wanted to get into people.” Cherkaoui’s mother is Flemish and his father Moroccan, and his artistic identity has always reflected his openness to the world. “My father is from Tangier in the north of Morocco, so I always had this link with North Africa. I’ve always connected the dots between all these different cultures,” he points out. “Even though I was in Antwerp, my parents spoke French with one another, so I naturally spoke French in the house. From being a kid it was very natural to me to either express myself in Dutch or in French.” A gifted linguist, the translation of emo-
tions has always interested Cherkaoui just as much as the translation of words and cultures. “When I started to make my own work in 1999 I felt like anything was possible. I could connect anything that was natural to connect,” he reveals. “When I did Sutra [Cherkaoui’s 2008 production which came about after meeting the monks of the Shaolin temple in 2007] all the people thought I was mad! But monks had always influenced my way of moving so it was very natural for me.” Cherkaoui’s path to stardom began at the age of 19, when he won his first prize for a solo performance that included a mixture of vogueing, African dance and hiphop motifs, at the national dance competition initiated by Belgian director and choreographer Alain Platel. Cherkaoui’s early influences included the American Issue 72 | December 2019 | 59