Allegations of abuse against Geneva choreographers – Telebasel
This is what the organization of independent stage performers and the French-speaking Swiss stage workers’ union SSRS demand.
The two industry organizations responded by requesting research by the French-speaking daily newspaper “Le Temps”, which was published in its Wednesday edition. According to this, the choreographer is said to have immorally touched dozens of women in his dance company – and has done so for several years. “Le Temps” relies on testimony from several former dancers of the group.
In the newspaper article, the choreographer denies having behaved immorally. He adds that his gestures may have been misunderstood. The accused could not be reached for a statement by the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The union Syndicat suisse romand du Spektakel (SSRS) and the organization of independent stage performers arts_sainements underline in a communication on Wednesday that. They also mentioned other forms of abuse.
Hold the silence
The two organizations expressed the hope that the silence about abuse in their industry could end. Among other things, they demanded that the city of Geneva carry out an audit, including a tax audit, and that measures be taken to protect those involved as soon as possible.
The city of Geneva took note of the request, said Félicien Mazzola, spokesman for the Department of Culture and Digital Change, on Wednesday. The city is in favor of a joint analysis to understand the facts and prevent this type of behavior.
In cooperation with the trade unions, the city of Geneva has therefore already taken measures to protect cultural workers, in particular through the appointment of confidants (mediators, lawyers, psychologists) who can be contacted in the event of problems.
Been convicted once
It’s not the first time that the choreographer of dance group Alias has been accused of sexual harassment. In November 2018, a young dancer who had attended one of his classes filed a complaint against him.
At the end of August 2021, the Lausanne District Court sentenced Lausanne to imprisonment of five months on probation and CHF 5,000 in pain and suffering for immoral contact. The choreographer has appealed against the judgment.