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Berne

Edition 2026

Final selection

Mélissa Guex

DOWN (full album)
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Martynas Plepys / Pauline Humbert

Dance-percussion duo
Collective groove
Abysses
Exploring abandon.

Letting yourself drop, letting go, giving in. Ecstasy is often followed by a down from which we would prefer to escape: the sooner, the better. On the other hand, this down also has the potential of euphoria, begging to be explored. Together, the dancer Mélissa Guex and the percussionist Clément Grin enter an unstable, precarious and inebriated state in this dance-percussion duo with the musical-sounding title «DOWN (full album)»: from inertia to trance, from desperation to ecstasy. In an open, arena-shaped setting, surrounded by viewers, an explosive, irrational, generous, voracious dance takes place – an attempt to dance with obscure and demonic forces. «DOWN (full album)» is a sensuous invitation to be submerged together: a collective groove in the depths.

Biography

Mélissa Guex is a dancer, performer and choreographer. After studying performance in Brussels, she completed a bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance at La Manufacture in Lausanne. For four years, she was an associate artist at the Théâtre Sévelin in Lausanne, where she created several short pieces, including De ceux – Episode (an improvisation format) and her first solo, Sous sol. In 2023, her second solo, Rapunzel, was presented at the Swiss Dance Days in Zurich. In addition to her own artistic work, she works as a performer for various artists such as Katerina Andreou, Géraldine Chollet and Anna Marija Adomaityte. Guex’ artistic works oscillates between nightlife and the world of theatre, exploring the transformative potential of costumes and use urban spaces as their playing field.

Clément Grin is a percussionist and composer. He studied performance/composition with Cyril Regamey and Emil Spanyi at the Lausanne Music Academy. Clément Grin is a member of the musical formations Meimuna, Hold, Monument, Duo Sonore, Gr'Ørch, Bart Plugers Blossom and Blasphemy. He performs regularly at venues such as the Jazz Onze+ Festival, Les Docks, Jazzwerkstatt, Cully Jazz Festival, Bee-Flat and Moods.

Accessibility

The performance spaces and toilets at the Dampfzentrale are accessible to wheelchair users via a stair lift. Please contact us by email at kasse@dampfzentrale.ch, so that we can reserve a suitable seat in the auditorium for you.

Sensory Warnings

Loud Music

Credits

Concept, direction, and performance Mélissa Guex, in collaboration with the artistic team

Music creation and performance Clément Grin

Direction support and dramaturgie Bast Hippocrate

Sound diffusion Charlotte Vuissoz

Scenography and costumes Lucie Meyer

Light designer Justine Bouillet

Artistic advisor Julie Botet

Production and distribution Amandine Bula

Production Cie Sumo

Management Valérie Niedereost, SALVE Production

Technical director Vincent Scalbert, SALVE Production

Coproduction partners Théatre Vidy-Lausanne, Pavillon ADC Genève

Advance Purchase far° Nyon, FIT Festival Lugano, Festival Antigel, Genève Schlachthaus Theater, Bern Usine à Gaz, Nyon

Support La ville de Lausanne, Le Canton de Vaud, La Loterie Romande, La Fondation Ernst Göhner, La Fondation Suisse des artistes interprètes, RESO. Creation support by the Pavillon ADC's (ac)compagnons program with the assistance of the Leenaards Foundation.

Venue

Dampfzentrale – Kesselhaus
Marzilistrasse 47, 3005 Bern
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Dates/Tickets

11.2.2026, 21:00—21:50
Dampfzentrale – Kesselhaus
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12.2.2026, 15:00—15:50
Dampfzentrale – Kesselhaus
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