Harbourfront Centre Premieres BABEL 7.16 From Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet

Harbourfront Centre, in partnership with Digidance, announces the Canadian digital broadcast of Babel 7.16 from two of the greatest names in contemporary dance - Belgian choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet, streaming December 8 to 19, 2021. Using the biblical story of the Tower of Babel as its starting point, this reimagined version of the duo's critically acclaimed 2010 work, Babel(words), brings 22 dancers from 15 nations on stage together in a kinetic exploration of the complexity and chaos that arises from diverse cultures striving to coexist.

The broadcast of Babel 7.16 is due to the coordinated effort of Digidance, a national initiative formed in response to COVID-19 between four of Canada's leading dance presenters: DanceHouse (Vancouver), Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa) and Danse Danse (Montreal), in association with Springboard Performance (Calgary).

"We are thrilled to present the epic Babel 7.16 and to showcase the choreographic genius of Cherkaoui and Jalet, as well as visual artist Antony Gormley, as part of our digital Digidance series," says Nathalie Bonjour, Director, Performing Arts at Harbourfront Centre and Digidance partner. "Hailed by The Guardian as 'the most fiercely resonant dance theatre of the decade,' following its premiere as Babel(words) back in 2010, today, its message of hope over fear, trust despite division - feels more necessary than ever."

Babel 7.16 was a special commission for the 70th anniversary of the Festival d'Avignon in 2016, filmed live by Roberto Maria Grassi at its world premiere at the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes.

In the Biblical story, humankind attempts to draw closer to God by building a tower toward him. Refusing to share his domain, the deity punishes his worshippers by dividing them into competing nations and languages. Working from this seed of inspiration, Cherkaoui and Jalet assembled a diverse international cast, including Canadian Francis Ducharme, who perform to an original score replete with heavy, propulsive rhythms that combine taiko drums, bamboo flute, and kokyu violin into a fusion of Eastern and Western sounds. British sculptor Antony Gormley's light-catching steel cubes and imposing three-dimensional structures define and redefine the space in seemingly infinite geometric permutations.

Along with its diverse voices, the work embodies an eclectic array of tones - at times intimate and sensual, irreverent and quirky. Among the various visions brought to the stage are a Kama Sutra pas de deux, a multi-lingual border guard robot, smooth-talking Frenchmen who regress to cave dwellers cavemen, and even a monstrous amalgam of six dancers that lays waste to everything in sight.

Cherkaoui made his choreographic debut in 1999 with Andrew Wale's contemporary musical, Anonymous Society. Since then, he has choreographed more than 50 pieces and won several awards, including two Olivier Awards, three Ballet Tanz awards for best choreographer (2008, 2011, 2017) and the Kairos Prize (2009) for his artistic vision and his quest for intercultural dialogue. Cherkaoui has been Artistic Director at the Royal Ballet Flanders since 2015 and has recently created new works for English National Ballet, Royal Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet, as well as serving as the choreographer for the Alanis Morissette Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill for which he received a Best Choreography Tony Award nomination.

Jalet is an independent choreographer and dancer whose work has been presented around the world. He has worked as a choreographer and dancer for Ballet C. de la B., Sasha Waltz and Guests, Chunky Move, Eastman, NYDC, Hessiches Staatballett, Paris Opera Ballet, Scottish Dance Theatre, Icelandic Dance Company, Gothenburg Dance company, and many more. His work as a choreographer can be seen in the 2020 film Suspiria starring Tilda Swinton and directing credits include Antwerp Opera's Pelleas and Melissande - alongside Cherkaoui and with a set by Marina Abramovic.

Antony Gormley is widely acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public artworks that investigate the relationship of the human body to space. Widely exhibited throughout the UK and internationally, his work in dance includes the critically acclaimed collaborations with Akram Khan, Hofesh Shechter, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Nitin Sawhney on zero degrees (2005, Sadler's Wells) and again with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui on Sutra (2008, Sadler's Wells); Babel(words) (2010, Sadler's Wells) for which he was given an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for the design of the set (2011); Noetic (2014, Göteborg Opera) and Icon (2016, Göteborg Opera).

For tickets and information on Babel 7.16 and Digidance, visit: harbourfrontcentre.com.

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