Royal Ballet Flanders Under Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

Abstract

This chapter evaluates Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s new tenure, since 2015, as artistic director of Royal Ballet Flanders within the company’s institutional history in context. Analysis of Cherkaoui’s dramaturgical approach to the programming of the ballet company’s seasons demonstrates that his artistic vision centers on the renewal of ballet as an art form. He explores the synergies between the classical, the modern, and the contemporary through a wide-ranging juxtaposition of choreographic material. Cherkaoui’s programming is strongly networked, enabling him to acquire key repertoire and new commissions for the company that are responsive to current debates about the state of the art form. The seasons are also shaped by a macro dramaturgy through which dance performance executes its function in society, as their juxtaposition of different ideas, voices, and perspectives invites audiences to critically reflect on cultural and political issues in the world at large.