Abstract
This chapter analyses zero degrees, co-choreographed by Cherkaoui and Akram Khan, through the lens of transculturality, which regards cultures as porous and permeable and favours transcultural networks or webs. A critique of the notion of the singular, pure “container” culture, transcultural perspectives are intent on identifying overlaps and influences between cultures, exploring what is shared in common. The in-depth analysis of the work’s aesthetic considers both Antony Gormley’s visual design and aural landscape, focusing on the travel story and song. Transforming oneself into the Other is a key choreographic strategy for Cherkaoui. The chapter also explores Sutra in terms of how it uses ethnography as a choreographic methodology and hence exposes the limits of cultural translation between Cherkaoui and the monks of the Shaolin Temple.
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Uytterhoeven, L. (2019). Transculturality and Its Limits in Zero Degrees and Sutra. In: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. New World Choreographies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27816-8_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27816-8_3
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