River Without Banks

A row of kneeling figures sways to the rhythm of throbbing pulses. From their torsos, grey waves are rising, spilling and crashing against an imaginary breakwater, until the arpeggios of a virtuoso pianist cause their surges to swell into whirlpools (Brise-lames). — A river of sound springs from two pianos, its ripples rushing over and disturbing the surrounding space. Caught in the current, couples form and break apart, in a play of delicate separations and renewed unions (River Without Banks).

Océans brings together two pieces inspired by the shapeshifting energy of water. Premiered in 2020 at the Paris Opera, Damien Jalet’s Brise-lames, imagined with the artist JR, joins the repertoire of the Geneva Ballet. Set to music by Koki Nakano, nine performers create a human wave, a symbol of power and fragility. In River Without Banks, Kyle Abraham explores the passage of time to Leo Svirsky’s spellbinding score, in a shifting environment designed with the help Dan Scully.