The Flemish-Moroccan Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is recognized worldwide as one of the most leading and original choreographers of his generation. He has developed an impressive oeuvre that personally examines and questions the traditions of the great cultures. Recurring elements in his work are spirituality, being different, the search for identity, religion and the fascination for other cultures. His trademark is a generous, poetic-elegant and lyrical dance style.
The evening-filling work Nomad is a special mosaic consisting of living and inanimate elements from the desert, made on Middle Eastern-inspired music by Felix Buxton of Basement Jaxx. The dance performance is a metaphor for ultimate freedom, but also for the impossibility of surviving in the desert. The dancing nomads show the fluidity and adaptability of creatures that thrive in the most extreme conditions. Against a gigantic desert statue on the back wall of the stage, there is almost animal dancing, such as snakes, lizards or camels. Each dancer individually shows the spirit of togetherness and friendship, the key to survival in a dry world, which would be insurmountable without the support of another. You can only survive the ultimate inhospitability of a desert by working together, where the landscape and the urge to survive call for special movements.
This nomadic world is also reinforced by danced geometric Arabic motifs, such as the flower. The costumes, created by the Antwerp fashion designer Jan-Jan Van Essche, are inspired by the wealth of fabrics that desert dwellers wear to protect themselves from the heat.
Free introduction
Prior to the performance on Friday 9 December at 7.45 pm, you can attend an introduction in the Spinozafoyer in Amare on presentation of your ticket. The introduction is free and subject to availability. There will be no introduction on Thursday 8 December.
This performance can be seen thanks to the International Dance Fund (FIND). Amare, Holland Dance Festival and Nederlands Dans Theater join forces in this fund with the aim of presenting high-profile international dance productions in Amare and profiling The Hague as the dance city of the Netherlands.
