With “Kantik,” Genevan choreographer Perrine Valli connects performance with her other occupation as a sexologist. For years Valli has been examining questions of sexual identity and has amassed an extensive body of knowledge that informs her latest artistic creation.

“Kantik” revolves around stories Valli first encountered in her practice – stories which she took to the studio where they were translated into a choreography by her and the performers. However, the piece does not concentrate on the individual experiences of her patients or even the sexual act but engages with sexuality as complex construct.

Relying on minimalistic and wave-like sequences of movement, Valli tenderly and unselfconsciously delineates the unseen inner life of humans:

desire, longing, fear, repulsion, and listlessness are presented as equally important parts of human existence. Fused together, they create an immense force that pervades all bodies in different ways. Embedded in this charged environment, the bodies of performers channel erotic thoughts and fill the space with a trembling, electric energy: a palpable and sensual experience for the audience that bears witness to an invisible, deeply human sensation – sexual passion.

Simply put: “Kantik” is a dance performance about sexuality. Eleven people dance on stage. It deals with the question: How can sexual energy be experienced through the body and movement?

Info

Duration: 60 minutes, no intermission
Spoken language: none
Age recommendation: 15+
Content warnings: none
World premiere: 25.4.2024, Comédie de Genève, as part of Migros Culture Percentage Dance Festival Steps
Further information: compagnie-sh.com

Credits

Choreography: Perrine Valli
In collaboration with the performers: Léna Sophia Bagutti, Clément Carre, Bilal El Had, Axel Escot, Ludivine Ferrara, Yuta Ishikawa, Julien Meslage, Vittorio Pagani, Tilouna Morel / Julia Rieder (double cast), Salomé Rebuffat, Pauline Rousselet
Artistic assistance: Tamara Bacci
Music: Eric Linder
Lighting: Laurent Schaer
Scenography: Sylvie Kleiber, Neda Loncarevic
Masks and costumes: Nagi Gianni
Diffusion: Gabor Varga, BravoBravo
Administration: Laure Chapel, Pâquis Production

Production: Compagnie Sam-Hester
Coproduction: Comédie de Genève, Migros Culture Percentage Dance Festival Steps
Supported by: Pro Helvetia - Swiss Arts Council, Bourse SSA pour la création chorégraphique

Accueil in collaboration with Comédie de Genève.

Perrine Valli

Perrine Valli is a Swiss-French choreographer and sexologist. She was educated as a dancer at Conservatoire National de Lyon and London’s Contemporary Dance School, among other places. She founded Sam-Hester, her own company, at the age of twenty-five. Since then, she has devised over twenty pieces that have been staged in Switzerland and worldwide, including in France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Japan, and Australia. Valli won the international choreography award Masdanza in 2007 and was runner-up at the Swiss PREMIO competition. Sexual identity plays a central role in her research. Her monograph “L’e féminin du mot sexe” was published by Riveneuve in 2018. Beyond this, Valli takes an interest in the relation between storytelling and abstraction in choreographic creations. The Genevan will present a new piece for Migros Culture Percentage Festival Steps: a choreography based on her work as a therapist. Picture © Gregory Batardon