Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Audition & Workshop

Posted by APATA Published By Strut Dance | Jul 21, 2024

After three years of a creative partnership between STRUT Dance and Eastman, this nine-day workshop invites all dancers (ballet, physical theatre, traditional, breaking, circus, krump, popping, locking, etc.) into the transcultural world of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. The workshop will be facilitated by Nicola Leahey and Nick Coutsier.

On November 16 and 17, STRUT and Eastman will hold a separate audition for Manifest, a world premiere by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui for Perth Moves, as part of Perth Festival 2025. You do NOT need to have participated in this workshop, or any previous Cherkaoui workshops, to audition. However, this workshop is a great way to become familiar with the world of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

“In this workshop we will look at what it means to move as a collective force by acknowledging the individual as an active piece of the puzzle. Through the rather challenging movement phrases from the Opera Satyagraha, we will work and sweat our way through this material, cultivating our bodies and discovering ourselves along the way.

As an individual, we can observe where we find our place in the group and what is our contribution? What are our commonalities but also what are our differences to celebrate? All of it can exist in this space and with awareness, we can weave our threads together to create a unique tapestry.

Themes of nonviolent resistance and peaceful protest are at the core of Satyagraha and they are also what we can encourage in ourselves before extending them out to the collective. How do we meet challenges in our own lives and in our dancing? How can we challenge ourselves from a starting point of acceptance?”

Audition registrations open 25 July 2024, 5.30pm (AWST)

You do not need to have attended the recent Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Workshop, or any previous workshops
You must be 18+
You must be based on Boorloo (Perth) for the duration of the project (20 Jan – 22 Feb 2025)
You must be a STRUT Member. SIGN UP HERE
Creation will be held at King Street Arts Centre.

Facilitators

Nicola Leahey

Nicola Leahey grew up in Adelaide, South Australia. She attained the RAD Solo Seal in 2006, graduated from the New Zealand School of Dance in 2009, then joined Queensland based company Dancenorth. In 2011 Nicola relocated to Belgium and has since performed extensively in Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s works: Faun, Puz/zle for the premiere season at the Festival d’Avignon, 3S, Pure and Sin in 4D+, in the operas Les Indes Galantes, Satyagraha and Shell Shock, A Requiem of War for the Armistice Centenary at La Philharmonie de Paris, Alceste, in the music video Valtari (Sigur Rós), Icon and Stoic in conjunction with GöteborgsOperans Danskompani and Nomad. She has performed with Compagnie Thor (Revolt), Damien Jalet (Vessel), Stephanie Lake Company (Skeleton Tree), Ross McCormack/Muscle Mouth (AGE). Nicola has worked with film directors Joe Wright (Cyrano), Christian Larson (Valtari), Ramy Fouad and Carl Erik Rinsch. She joined Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in 2021 where she appeared in Cherkaoui’s Noetic and Jan Martens’ FUTUR PROCHE, which premiered at the Cour d’Honneur of the Palais des Papes during Festival d’Avignon 2022. Nicola has taught repertoire at the Conservatory in Antwerp and teaches yoga in Brussels.

Nick Coutsier

Nick Coutsier began his dance training at the age of 12, getting in touch with dance styles such as hip-hop and house dance. Over the next 5 years, he trained with small Belgian hip-hop companies that led him to work as a commercial dancer for music videos and tv-programs in Belgium and France. In 2012, he entered the Artesis Plantijn Royal Conservatory for a bachelor in contemporary dance training. After graduating in 2015 he started working with Lali Ayguadé, performing in the production Kokoro. In 2017, Nick worked with the choreographer and set designer Theo Clinkard on the production This Bright Field, joined the cast of Monument 0.4 Lores & Praxes installation work by Eszter Salomon and premiered in Lali Aguadé Company’s new production iU an Mi. In 2018, he worked with American Netherlands based artist, Connor Schumacher and performed the piece A mon corps défendant by Marine Mane. Since 2018 he has worked with Eastman Company, and as a guest with the Royal Ballet of Flanders, performing in the works directed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Shell Shock at the Philharmonie de Paris, Nomad, Satyagraha, and VLAEMSCH. Nick joined the Black is King project by Beyonce in 2019 and has worked as a movement director for fashion brands such as Marine Serre, Moncler, Rains, Gucci or more recently Louis Vuitton in collaboration with Pharrell Williams.

About Strut Dance

A choreographic centre based in Boorloo, Western Australia, STRUT nurtures and sustains a thriving community of diverse dance artists and connects them with audiences to share their work.

Vision

A local, national and global network of dynamic dance artists whose work reflects and contributes to our understanding of the world and celebrates dance as a driver of human connection.