The tower was meant to reach to heaven, according to the grand idea behind it – to the great displeasure of God, whose kingdom the tower’s spire would touch when completed. For the Almighty feared the arrogance of humans as much as the strength they possessed when united as one. So it is that he took their common language away from them and scattered them across the Earth. “The Tower of Babel” is the name of this story as related in the Bible’s Old Testament. Babel (words) is also the name given to a work by Belgian-Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, one which interprets the story differently however. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet staged the piece together. The multifarious languages that God intended as a punishment represent a tremendous treasure for Cherkaoui. In the vast variety of movement languages, he finds inspiration for his work and the possibility to expand his knowledge and skills. Whether in dialogue with the famed Shaolin monks, in collaboration with a Spanish flamenco dancer or in a duet with an Indian Kuchipudi artist – the encounter with other individuals and cultures is a process of give and take for Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. A process in which something new and shared is created.
Thirteen dancers from twelve nations stand on stage in Babel (words). The tower which they build together consists of five hollow metal building blocks of varying sizes. The dancers tilt and shift the objects, they move about inside them, on top of them, around them, and combine them over and over in new forms. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is not interested in God and his wrath – instead he is preoccupied with the limits of human thinking and action along with the possibilities of respectful coexistence. Where there is the absence of a common language, individuals typically manage to communicate with their hands. Speaking gestures can also be found in the traditional dances of numerous cultures. The hand is a magical tool, says Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and he places a monologue about the gesture as humanity’s oldest means of expression at the beginning of Babel (words).
Finding a language to unite peoples and cultures has been a central concern in Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s life from the very beginning. His Moroccan father and Flemish mother spoke French with one another, a language in which neither of the two was at home – Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui too would grow up with this feeling. He felt the urge to dance very early on, but he did not receive traditional, well-established training as a dancer because his father was opposed to the idea. Instead, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui attended courses on a wide variety of dance styles and approaches. Although his talent earned him first performance opportunities on Belgian music television shows at the ripe age of 17, his teachers were never satisfied with his expression. Whether ballet, tap or African dance – when Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui was the one doing it, it always ended up looking different, not quite “right” somehow.
Finally, one day Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui happened upon the films of Bruce Lee and suddenly recognised the special nature of his own capabilities. In an approach analogous to that of the famous martial arts fighter, from that point on he has used characteristic material from diverse dance traditions, in order to create something new and personal. In doing so, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui not only draws on various dance styles, he also exploits the expressive potential of other art forms. Thus, spoken word and singing are often presented on an equal footing with dance in his pieces. He also works on his drawing skills or submits to vocal instruction with the same discipline that he exhibits in training his body. However, no matter what he does, he always stands on stage as a dancer, as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui himself put it in an interview. Not as a flamenco dancer, a singer or a Kung Fu fighter, but as a dancer who is dancing flamenco, singing or practicing Kung Fu. And that is precisely what makes Cherkaoui’s work so special.