Sutra: A Review

Last year, when Flemish/Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui had come to town to present Myth, the show only made a lukewarm impression on me. Still I found myself looking forward to his new show, Sutra, which is presented by Danse Danse this week at Place des Arts. It’s probably because, while Cherkaoui is still concerned with issues surrounding faith, Sutra seemed like an entirely different deal. This time, Cherkaoui is surrounded by seventeen monks from the Shaolin temple, including a twelve-year-old boy.

It’s a muted modernist world that lies before us, both stage and costumes various shades of grey, except for twenty-one wooden boxes designed by Antony Gormley. The boxes are not only part of the set design, but have an active role in the choreography. This becomes clear early on as they turn on themselves to reveal that the monks were patiently waiting inside all along.

By its high number and basic geometric structure, this simple device offers countless possibilities. It can become a maze, a lifeboat, dominoes, doors, and – of course – a casket. Each monk carries his box across the floor like a burden, or more simply a life. Not that the monks appear in charge of their fate. At the front of the stage can be found a replica on a much smaller scale of the boxes that Cherkaoui plays with as if they were toys, the human-sized version following the pattern designed by the choreographer.

If anything – and this despite the visually seductive acrobatics – the relationship between Cherkaoui and the monks is the most fascinating aspect of Sutra for me. The choreographer first casts himself in this strange God-like role, able to symbolically move heavy boxes with great ease and make human beings move simply by lifting his finger. Hence why it is so satisfying when a monk left out of the group runs over to the model and kicks it down as if to level out the playing field by destroying Cherkaoui’s god-like abilities as choreographer. Similarly, there is a section where the child replicates Cherkaoui’s movement, demonstrating that just because he is an adult does not make him more powerful.

The relationship is completely reversed when Cherkaoui is on the ground while the monks tower over him, standing tall on their upright boxes. He is clearly outnumbered and the more powerless one. It’s hard to figure out how the choreographer should position himself. He cannot pretend to be one of theirs; neither can he remain on the outskirts. One can’t help but feel a desire from Cherkaoui to be part of something that he can never truly be a part of.

And yet no section may be more satisfying than the final one where at last he joins them in their display of kung fu. As the lights dim and only one is left shining on the miniature replica of the set, one can only feel humility at the reminder of how small human life truly is.

Sutra is presented at 8pm every night until Saturday, and at 2pm on Sunday. (The show is also presented at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on November 11 and 12, as well as at the Grand Théâtre in Quebec City on November 16.) Tickets start at 30$. For more information, visit dansedanse.net or call 514.842.2112.