Sadler’s Wells and Shaolin Temple present
Sutra
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Antony Gormley / Szymon Brzóska
with the Monks of Shaolin Temple
Cal Performances Company Debut
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, choreographer
Antony Gormley, visual creation and design
Szymon Brzóska, composer
Contemporary dance and ancient martial arts combine in this award-winning collaboration between Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, sculptor Antony Gormley, composer Szymon Brzóska, and 20 Buddhist monks from the Shaolin Temple in China’s Henan Province.
Sutra explores the Shaolin kung fu tradition in the context of contemporary culture, inviting a cadre of modern-day practitioners to lend their skills—the flying kicks, backflips, and shadow-boxing practiced as part of their spiritual discipline—to a humorous fable about a European outsider learning about their monastery. With clever set design by Gormley and a chamber music score by Brzóska performed live, the production has earned rave reviews across the globe.
“A brave, thrilling, elliptical piece…[an] odyssey into the mind of a Zen Buddhist” (The Telegraph, UK).
Co-produced with Athens Festival, Festival de Barcelona Grec, Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, La Monnaie Brussels, Festival d’Avignon, Fondazione Musica per Roma, and Shaolin Cultural Communications Company
Sat, Nov 8, 8pm
Sun, Nov 9, 3pm
There is a $15 per order service charge on single ticket purchases that partially underwrites the cost of our ticketing platform, credit card processing, Ticket Office staffing, and ticket delivery. To avoid this fee, tickets can be purchased in person at our Ticket Office during our regular office hours. Note: there is a $20 service charge for all subscription orders.
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Beyond the Stage Related Posts
Sat, Nov 8, 8pm
Sun, Nov 9, 3pm
* There is a $15 per order service charge on ticket purchases made by phone or online that are not part of a subscription package, and a $20 service charge on all subscription orders. There is no fee for tickets purchased in person at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office unless they are part of a subscription. This fee helps to underwrite the cost of providing services online and by phone, as well as programs needed for digital order delivery. To avoid this fee, tickets can be purchased in person at our Ticket Office during our regular office hours.
Single tickets for 2025–26 Season events go on sale at noon as follows:
July 24: Donors of $100+
July 29: Email Club and UCB Community
Aug 5: General Public