“We are all bodies of water! What we do to water, we do to every body, including ourselves.”
— Astrida Neimanis
The mission of Global Water Dances - Geneva (GWD-GE) is to support dancers and other artists, as well as environmentalists and other community leaders, as they collaborate for the stewardship of Geneva’s water systems. GWD-GE offers performances, residencies, and workshops that engage and prepare audiences of all ages to appreciate and advocate for local bodies of water.
Save the date for the next GWD event on Saturday, June 14, 2025!
Join the mailing list to be informed of the time and body of water where we will dance.
Below you will find information about upcoming and previous local GWD-GE events. To see all of the GWD-GE videos, visit our dedicated webpage: https://vimeo.com/globalwaterdancesge. To join our mailing list, email us: info@globalwaterdances.ch. The co-directors of GWD-GE are Deborah and Natasha.
Services & Past GWD-GE Events
GWD-GE Performances bring together dancers, other artists, and environmentalists to engage with local bodies of water: exploring creative strategies to safeguard them, producing events to raise awareness about them, and celebrating them as vital resources worthy of stewardship.
GWD-GE Residencies provide schools and organizations with performances and/or dance workshops that raise awareness and appreciation of local water resources. Workshops can be further tailored to align with the mission and special initiatives of the partnering institution.
During GWD-GE Workshops, participants learn about the concerns and value of local bodies of water through workshops that are facilitated by artistic/educational/environmental partners, who are experts in their respective fields.
Global Water Dances - Geneva 2024 Projet PluiË
GWD-GE was invited by the International Rainwater Harvesting Association (IRHA) to be a partner in their « Projet PluiË - Promouvoir de manière LUdique et Innovante l’Eau de pluie ». Throughout the year, participants of all ages change their perspectives on rain through artistic and somatic experiences. The journey of rainwater in natural and urban environments (gutters, pipes, treatment, as well as rainwater collection and recovery) provide opportunities to explore, embody, create and share, in the form of dance and performance. Take a look at the program and video to learn more about the events.
Global Water Dances - Geneva 2023 at La Seymaz / L’Arve
La Seymaz, the only river located entirely in the canton of Geneva, was chosen as the site for GWD-Geneva 2023. The river and the theme of the year (Rainwater as a Resource), inspired a series of artistic/educational/environmental workshops, which reached the widest audience since GWD-GE was established in 2019. Highlights included learning about the importance of water in our lives, specifically rain as inspiration for art making, rainwater harvesting in human and urban permaculture, and the wetland source of the Seymaz river. (Site Leaders: Natasha Alhadeff-Jones and Deborah Chevalier)
This video is an excerpted version of the Global Water Dances - Geneva 2023 performance at La Seymaz. See the full version here.
Global Water Dances - Geneva 2021 at Lac des Vernes
Lac de Vernes in Meyrin was chosen as a site for GWD 2021-Geneva. A human-made lake launched in 2017, it exemplifies many permaculture principles. The only lake entirely located in Geneva, it reduces risks related to phenomena caused by climate change. It collects rainwater and is connected to a project that separates rainwater from waste water, regulating flooding of the Nant d´Avril. It is a quality green space for the inhabitants of Geneva. (Site Leader: Natasha Alhadeff-Jones)
This video is an excerpted version of the Global Water Dances - Geneva 2021 performance at Lac des Vernes. See the full version here.
Global Water Dances - Geneva 2021 at L’Arve / Les Berges de Vessy
After a movement exploration at the nearby museum of the exhibition, Immersion - Une exposition sur l'eau, participants performed the Global Dance. (Site Leader: Deborah Chevalier, L'Art du présent)
Global Water Dances - Geneva 2019 at Lac Léman / Le Port de la Perle du Lac
The first Global Water Dances - Geneva performance included workshops for children, adolescents, and adults and concluded with an intergenerational performance, just before a deluge of rain. (Site Leader: Natasha Alhadeff-Jones)
This video is an excerpted version of the Global Water Dances - Geneva 2019 performance at Lac Léman.