Celebrating dance in its utmost form was 'Glimpses', a 90-minute-programme by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, held as a part of the 'Attakkalari India Biennial 2013' recently.
'Glimpses' was a suite of four of the best recent duets of Belgian-Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. All four of the duets displayed the versatility and innovative character of Sidi Larbi's works, while each piece is born from different settings.
The evening's performance started with Origine, an ode to the omnipresence of objects around us, and how they play a role in protecting us, in our extreme solitude in today's world.
The pieces that followed, were 'Sin' that grew out of another work Babel ('Words'), which was co-choreographed by Damien Jalet in 2010; and 'Pure', a lyrical virtuosic duet that was originally made as part of a site-specific festival.
Faun, a piece that examines the animalistic nature of human movement and the power of mythology, was a fascinating take on dance movements.
The four duets performed were revised to showcase their potential as free-standing works, and brought together to form a full-fledged programme. Commenting on his nature and the works, Sidi Larbi says, "I use movements in the pieces that bring out beauty. I like exploring things that teach me more about human experiences. I'm a tactile person, and I feel that humans need to touch each other to learn about each other."
He explains, "While I love and explore via touch, I didn't want to be provocative. I wanted to depict sexuality in a way that made it okay, with its innocence. And when I use ancient things in my pieces, it is because our body wants to explore things that are not new, but are there in our blood."
Rajesh K, who came to watch the performance, says, "The dancers were flexible and explored a variety of themes."
'Glimpses' was a suite of four of the best recent duets of Belgian-Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. All four of the duets displayed the versatility and innovative character of Sidi Larbi's works, while each piece is born from different settings.
The evening's performance started with Origine, an ode to the omnipresence of objects around us, and how they play a role in protecting us, in our extreme solitude in today's world.
The pieces that followed, were 'Sin' that grew out of another work Babel ('Words'), which was co-choreographed by Damien Jalet in 2010; and 'Pure', a lyrical virtuosic duet that was originally made as part of a site-specific festival.
Faun, a piece that examines the animalistic nature of human movement and the power of mythology, was a fascinating take on dance movements.
The four duets performed were revised to showcase their potential as free-standing works, and brought together to form a full-fledged programme. Commenting on his nature and the works, Sidi Larbi says, "I use movements in the pieces that bring out beauty. I like exploring things that teach me more about human experiences. I'm a tactile person, and I feel that humans need to touch each other to learn about each other."
He explains, "While I love and explore via touch, I didn't want to be provocative. I wanted to depict sexuality in a way that made it okay, with its innocence. And when I use ancient things in my pieces, it is because our body wants to explore things that are not new, but are there in our blood."
Rajesh K, who came to watch the performance, says, "The dancers were flexible and explored a variety of themes."