Sutra

• Links to ICDSB

  • pedestrian movement
  • fusion of styles - contemporary, king fu, tai chi
  • physical theatre
  • buddhist monks dancing - not stereotypical
• larbi

  • born in Belgium
  • grew up in a multicultural, multilingual home
  • loved to draw
  • started training in folk dance at school
  • influenced by Bruce Lee and Kung Fu
  • attended classes in hip hop, jazz, ballet, flamenco and tap
  • studied at P.A.R.T.S in Belgium
  • launched his company Eastman
  • Sadler’s Wells associate artist
• larbi influences

  • Kate bush’s music - speaking about diverse subjects and her clear influence from other cultures
  • analysed music at P.A.R.T.S “I learnt in dance school to perceive, absorb and analyse music”
  • ”when you dance you are making drawings in the room”
  • working with Antony gormley on zero degrees - use of space and site-sensitive locations
• Shaolin martial arts

  • buddhist faith prohibits violence
  • origins were economical and political
  • the staff is an important symbol of religious authority in Buddhism
  • 16th-17th century the monks developed their bare-handed techniques.
  • largely derives from ancient Chinese gymnastic tradition.
• the shaolin temple

  • in china
  • monks originating from India
  • follow a strict Buddhist doctrine
  • 708 movement sequences, 552 boxing sequences
  • perfection of their kung fu skills as their life long goal
• Buddhism

  • suffering is an inescapable part of life
  • suffering stems from greed, ignorance and hatred
  • possibility for liberation from suffering
  • eightfold path is a means to enlightenment (attaining nirvana being the extinguishment of greed, delusion and hatred)
  • like a raft crossing a river, once you’ve reached the other side, you no longer need the raft.
• key themes

  • cultural exchange
  • old and new china
  • larbi’s experience at the temple
  • building and destroying
  • transformations
  • games
  • freedom and containment
  • Buddhist philosophy
• starting points

  • larbi felt trapped in contemporary dance as a genre
  • the differences he learnt between the eastern and western world through his experience at the temple
  • interest in Bruce Lee and kung fu
• development of movement

  • movement from shaolin kung fu
  • Buddhist philosophy
  • movement with Gormley’s boxes
  • improvisation from Dong Dong
  • the music
  • French Sign Language
• set design - Antony Gormley

  • previously collaborated with larbi on zero degrees
  • designs investigate the relationship between the human body and space
  • 21 wooden boxes - weigh 32kg each
  • gormley wanted more eccentric formations with the boxes but the dance would have become too focused on them
  • larbi chose to work with him as his work is powerful and radical
  • the multiplicity of his work reminded larbi of his first impression of the monks
• Syzmon Brzoska's - aural setting

  • Had a good cultural understanding
  • Used his own experience in the temple, like taking part in prayer and the movement of the monks to inspire the score
  • Wanted the music to be meditative
  • Composed about dynamic contradictions
  • Didn't want traditional Chinese music as it was about collaboration
• Composition process

  1. Composed prior to the choreography

  2. Pieces composed separately then arranged to fit the scenes
• aural setting

  • Monks didn't know how to follow music as they had their own set rhythms so the score had to have an adaptable tempo
  • Musicians play behind them so they can observe their movement and play accordingly
• Costume - Larbi

  • dark coloured shirt with a grey jacket from 1-7 then black jacket from 8-18
  • blueish grey loose trousers the same as the monks
  • white trainers are modern, western and materialistic
• costume - monks

  • long loose fitting grey robes 1-7
  • their robes for official trips but is minimal and reflects their everyday lives
  • black feiye shoes which are comfortable and flexible
  • section 8 wear a large burgundy t shirt
  • 11-16 dark coloured shirt underneath a black suit
  • uniformity shows equality, cloning and they appear as a collective
• props used

  • gunshu sword
  • pu dao sword
• cultural exchange - movement example

  • larbi sits cross legged, facing the young monk
  • uses his hands to perform pointing gestures whilst the monk behind them mirrors these gestures through use of the whole body - displaced manipulation
  • dong dong places his hand under his chin as though he is expressing his interest in larbi
• games - movement example

  • dong dong turns the smaller wooden boxes over row by row, and the large boxes follow, in the same order as dong dong plays with them
  • larbi and dong dong approach the monk and the three of them pause before dong dong runs away with the monk's gunshu
  • element of humour
  • clear imagery of a game with the boxes
• old and new china - movement example

  • a monk creates a small semi-circle with his thumb and forefinger, extending his arm in front of him
  • his arm raises slowly up his body as he leans away from it
  • when his hand reaches head height, he tips his head back, as though drinking
  • reference to old drunken style of kung fu
  • could be symbolic of the instability larbi felt in the temple
• larbi's experience - movement example

  • larbi walks towards the boxes (pond formation)
  • starts upstage and ends sitting on one of the boxes in the final row
  • observes the monk's movement the rest of the section
  • shows larbi as an outsider
  • reflects how he went to the temple to learn from the monks as part of the creative process
• freedom and confinement - movement example

  • larbi is seen centre stage in a box placed vertically
  • he looks around, facing the inside of the box as though looking for a way out
  • this causes him to bump into the side of the box
  • larbi is confined to the box and cannot escape, despite looking for a way out
  • dong dong appears from the top of the box and climbs into it, joining larbi, thus confining the two of them to an even smaller space
  • "the confinement you create for yourself... for others... the confinement others create for you"
• buddhist philosophy - movement example

  • the monks move in a circle around dong dong with the boxes over their backs, so only their legs can be seen
  • they form a circle around dong dong, slowly lowering their boxes outwards facing
  • the monks crouch behind the boxes as they tip them slowly towards the floor
  • image of the lotus created - significant in buddhism as its said lotus flowers bloomed wherever baby buddha walked
• lotus

  • dong dong representing baby buddha?
  • each stage of the lotus' growth is a stage on the path to enlightenment
  • mudras performed by dong dong - e,g) vitarka; invites dicussions for growth
• cultural exchange - movement example

  • after the chaos of the fighting in 'forest'
  • the monks lay spread out across the stage
  • larbi appears holding a different sword to the pu dao swords the the monks used
  • points him out as the foreigner
  • creates contrast as larbi wouldn't involved with the fighting
  • larbi trying to integrate himself within the monks' practices
• old vs new china - movement example

  • after the aggressor monks have finished their trio, the rest of the monks appear from the boxes arranged in the forest formation
  • they form a horizontal line across the whole stage
  • the other three monks face them
  • all the monks bang the ends of their swords on the ground in unison
  • old china - shows they must come together to defend the temple/monastery
• larbi's experience - aural setting

  • box
  • piano is the only instrument heard until dong dong joins larbi in the box, then violin is introduced
  • shows the journey of larbis experience and how his knowledge expanded as he learned more about the monks and integrated himself into their culture
  • sutra = thread (ties to beginning of the piece when the two are alone and these same instruments are heard)
• confinement - lighting

  • maze
  • the large boxes are highlighted by the lighting
  • the rest of the stage has a dim wash of light
  • highlights the labrynth is the only path to becoming a monk and that dong dong must use the maze as his only path to becoming a monk - spotlights emphasise this
• old vs new china - aural setting

  • pond
  • long strained note played on cello
  • sound of gunshu hitting the boxes
  • stands out against otherwise meditative cello
  • reminds us of the staff being used as a weapon when protecting the monastery
  • the cello's peaceful tone reminds us of the pacifist nature of the shaolin monks now - buddhist philosophy
• old and new china - costume

  • city
  • the monks change into black suits with grey shirts underneath.
  • They are loosely fitted and mimic the way in which Larbi’s costume fits. 
  • This is symbolic of the monks becoming more modern and westernised
  • It also helps them to fit into the narrative of the city life as they appear more similar to the average commuter.  
• Accompaniment

  • the music was composed prior to the choreography
  • emotion in the music - szymon found the monks melancholic and wanted the music to be meditative as the martial art world is about relaxation as well as fight
  • the piece is about contradictions - movement and stillness, soft and strong - which inspired szymon
  • traditional chants were used live as part of the choreography