Warrior monks dancing? Whoever imagined that!
Chinese Shaolin warrior monks doing kung fu on a modern theater stage with violin, cello and piano accompaniment? What’s going on?
Belgium choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, giving full play to his creativity and imagination, created a unique contemporary dance called “Sutra,” with the help of sculptor friend Antony Gormley and some 20 monks from the Shaolin Temple on Songshan Mountain in Henan Province.
The show, which premiered in Europe in 2008, explores the philosophical wisdom behind the Shaolin tradition and the relationship between man and kung fu in the modern era.
After more than 240 performances around the world, the dance finally made its debut on the Chinese mainland. Better late than never. It was widely praised by Shanghai audiences during the 21st China Shanghai International Arts Festival.
The inspiration for “Sutra” came from Cherkaoui’s “journey to the East” in 2007, a trip to shake the then 31-year-old choreographer out of his comfort zone. He visited the Shaolin Temple at the suggestion of Japanese producer and friend Hisashi Itoh.
Cherkaoui is a fan of martial arts and yoga, and also a strict vegetarian. Born in Belgium to a Flemish mother and a Moroccan father, he describes himself as “an Arab who doesn’t eat meat and a Belgian who doesn’t drink beer.”
It’s probably his self-definition of “an outsider” and the sense of apartness that kept Cherkaoui exploring foreign cultures to find links between people and the world.
The Shaolin Temple, located on the western edge of Songshan Mountain in central China’s Henan, was the birthplace of Zen Buddhism dating back to AD 495.
“I had an image in my head of what the monks’ lives would be like,” Cherkaoui said. “But when I was there, my understanding grew much deeper. It must have been an emotional journey for someone who wanted to be a monk. Every one had their journey, and I had mine, which carried me there.”
During his conversations with Shaolin Master Shi Yanda, Cherkaoui asked why monks prayed in quiet, then fought like madmen. Shi explained how meditation stills the mind and kung fu stills the body.
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