Dear Son…
choreography: Simone Repele & Sasha Riva
drawings: Gu Jiajun, uz pomoć Adèle Vettu
light design: Alessandro Caso
production: Riva & Repele and Le Voisin
co-production: Orsolina 28, Centre des Arts Geneve, Romaeuropa Festival, Daniele Cipriani Entertainment
duration: 50’
premiere: Geneva, 2024.
performers: Anne Jung, Simone Repele, Sasha Riva
An artistic experience that invites the audience to think about the fragility of life in the time and society we live in, which is marked by the persistence of wars and their terrible consequences. The piece explores the immense pain of parents due to the loss of their children. The work is tasked with going beyond words to convey the complexity of emotions associated with this experience, to raise awareness of the presence of war among current and future generations. As an opportunity to make peace by giving a voice to victims and witnesses, a contribution to the evolution of society towards a more peaceful and normal time.
The piece follows a family—a mother, father, and their son—whose lives are torn apart when the son decides to go to war. The performance begins with a flashback to a moment frozen in time: a family portrait. The past reflects the dreams and plans of a life once full of promise. The present is suspended in stillness, where an elderly mother clings to hope as she tries to write a letter to her beloved son, still awaiting his return. The pain is silent, yet ever-present. In the future, the parents remain, living with the memory of the son they lost. Through movement, we seek to express what words cannot—the immeasurable sorrow and the enduring bond of unconditional love.
Riva & Repele is an artistic association established by Simone Repele and Sasha Riva in 2020. Throughout their dance careers they approached many different styles as well as discovering very quickly a strong need to express their creativity. After several years in ballet companies like Hamburg Ballet and Geneva Ballet, they founded Riva & Repele based in Geneva. Their qualities as performers together with the will to create, gave Simone and Sasha the idea to collaborate as a team to find a richer language by combining their thoughts and artistry. Sasha and Simone’s choreographic works find his source on a strong theatrical side, sensitive and poetic. The stylized images are linked by a neoclassical and contemporary vocabulary and strong gestures.
The solos, duets, and ensemble sections are deeply moving, performed with rare interpretive depth and intensity, effectively shaping the entire work.
© Danza&Danza
A powerful performance that moves and captivates, leaving the audience spellbound and deeply touched.
© Eroica Fenice
They seem to fly even when they walk. So light that their strength on stage feels almost like a contradiction.
© Corriere della Sera
