Philippe Saire
Choreographer
To this day, key player in the Swiss contemporary dance scene Philippe Saire has created some thirty shows, in addition to performances and short films.His interests include visual arts, theatre and cinema, fields that feature in his consistently intense and refined works, which often carry a touch of darkness.
His diverse activities have led him to develop a method that weaves text and movement, creating pieces that move away from the framework of dance to apply to theater.
He has staged Angels in America, written by Tony Kushner, and more recently Orphans, by Dennis Kelly. At the same time, his choreographic creations center on his series Dispositifs (Black Out, NEONS, Vacuum, Party Room...).
Philippe Saire was born in Algeria in 1957. He spent there the first five years of his life. After moving to Lausanne, he trained in contemporary dance before going abroad – including a spell in Paris – to pursue his training.
In 1986, he created his own company in the region of Lausanne, Switzerland, which went on to develop its own creative repertoire and actively contributed to the emergence of contemporary dance throughout Switzerland.
In 1995, the Compagnie Philippe Saire inaugurated its own creative workspace, the Théâtre Sévelin 36. Located in Lausanne, the theatre is dedicated to contemporary dance and hosts performances of international stature, as well as local dance acts, in a bid to help promote local companies. In 2013, Théâtre Sévelin 36 is the laureate of the Prix spécial de danse awarded by the Office fédéral de la culture.
In 1998, Philippe Saire was awarded the Grand Prix by the Fondation Vaudoise pour la Promotion et les Créations Artistiques That same year, he won the Prix d’auteur of Conseil général de Seine-Saint-Denis (France), at the Sixth International Choreographic Meeting, for his piece Étude sur la Légèreté. And in 2004, ProTanz Zurich awarded him the Swiss dance and choreography prize.
From 2003 onwards, Philippe Saire taught movement at the Manufacture – an advanced theatre school in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
From the clouds to the depths of the ocean, the adventures of two illusionist dancers. A poetic coming-of-age story imagined by choreographer Philippe Saire, a pioneer of Swiss contemporary dance.