Zero Degrees

Zero Degrees

1. Subject Matter

   • Identity
     • neutral sidi navy khan - brown
     • Passport
     • Dual nationality
     • dummies are used to represent both larbi and khan
       • larbi pointing - 'thats me'
   • No zone (Space Between)
     • Between Cultures
       • akram bangladeshi british larbi flemish and moroccan strip of light - inbetween
     • Life and Death
       • dummies on different levels being pulled khan in the middle (no zone) with larbis lament - mourning atmosphere convulsing personifies his struggle to deal with the death
   • duality/mutation
     • reflected in the use of the dummies and the shadows on the white cyclorama... whirling devils turns talking at the beginning dummies Text on the train where Larbi becomes the chair

2. Starting point

   • Death of Passenger
     • SECTION 1 (prologue) speech tells narrative
   • journey
     • on a train
       • box steps swinging arems seen in sacred monsters (2006)
   • Working with Larbi (collaboration)
     • khan has history of collaborations
     • Attack and Block
     • bouncy ball
     • shadow section
       • Sufi turnsfluidity rollsshows mutation and duality
     • arms in section 2

3. Sidi Larbi

   • stylistic features
     • extreme flexibity
       • larbi solo- rolls using hyperflexible spine keeping head in same space bouncy ball - rebounding - falls into splits - hamstring- uncomfortable to watch attack and block - walk over flexibility in his spine
     • fluidity
       • section 2 - arms (experimental) attack and block - continuous flow of movment bouncy ball - continuous movement - rebound effect solo - moving his feet around his head into a bridge and walks forward - contortionism - doesnt hit one movement
     • Eclectic fusion of styles
       • yoga
         • solo bouncing ball head stands and balances
       • martail arts
         • attack and block
       • hiphop
         • freezes on his head in his solo
       • contemporary
         • arms section shadow section - post modern influence - experimental
       • ballet
         • bouree on point in solo
     • Collaborations
       • nitin sawhney
       • Antony Gormley
       • Eastman
       • Cedar lake
       • Les Ballet C de la B
       • Patrizia Bovi
       • dutch National Ballet
       • Osamu Tezuka
       • Shantala Shivalingappa
       • Akram Khan
       • Damien Jalet
       • Shaolin Monks
     • Experimental Choreography
       • monks arms section - Zero Degrees orbo novo alphabet quote faun dancers contibute to process
       • improvisation
         • Don Don - young monks playing with set faun
     • accompaniment
       • music before movement
       • polyphonic singing
       • not using popular music
     • physical setting

4. AKRAM KHAN

   • stylistic features
     • extreme speed
     • fusion of kathak and contemporary
     • Kathak
       • Sufi turns - fast spins mudra - slicing arm gestures 
     • speech/dialogue
     • juxstaposition of simplicity and complexity
     • contact improvisation
     • Collaborations
       • Nitin Sawhney
       • Sidi Larbi
       • Antony Gormley
       • sylvie guillen
       • Juliet Binoche
     • Accompaniment
       • audible
       • live accompaniment
       • text