In 2027, on the occasion of the centenary of Maurice Béjart’s birth and the company’s 40th anniversary, Béjart Ballet Lausanne will make its long-awaited return to Geneva, at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, for four exceptional performances.
From 25 to 28 February 2027, Béjart Ballet Lausanne will perform in Geneva, two years after its last appearance there, presenting two complementary works: Maurice Béjart’s Serait-ce la mort ? and OSKAR by Riva&Repele. In their own distinct ways, both works explore the human condition, memory, desire and our inner boundaries.
The evening opens with Maurice Béjart’s Serait-ce la mort ?, created in 1970 to the final four Lieder by Richard Strauss for the Ballet du XXème siècle. The ballet’s title takes its name from the final line of the last Lieder: “Ist dies etwa der Tod?” — “Could this be death?”
A man, on the threshold of death, recalls three women he has loved throughout his life. Yet a fourth figure persistently comes between him and these memories. A mysterious presence, someone he has never known. Who is she? The question remains suspended until the very last moment: could this be death?
The evening continues with OSKAR by Riva&Repele. Beneath the shimmering glow of a streetlamp, in a space suspended between reality and illusion, a clown-like man moves through his days, caught between fleeting moments of amusement and profound immersion in his thoughts.
OSKAR portrays the soul of a solitary man, an artist searching for his future. Before him stands a wall, a symbol of inner limitations and fears: must we confront them in order to venture into the unknown, or remain in a familiar present that is gradually becoming suffocating?
What happens when we are confronted with our own boundaries? From the memory of a life drawing to a close to the quest of an artist searching for his path, the evening invites us to venture into these fragile spaces.
