A ‘strike’ can take many forms: a sudden blow, a percussive hit, a refusal, an act of collective interruption. The word carries violence, rhythm, and dissent all at once. What these gestures have in common is their evasion of capture even as they brush against the traditions of the world’s most famous femicide: the myth of Carmen.

In their latest multidisciplinary performance, the collective ‘Moved by the Motion’ explores the codes and gestures of this iconic figure, in collaboration with flamenco artists. Through live improvisation, sound and video overlays, fragments of the myth are torn apart and reassembled in ‘strike’. Music splinters, images glitch, bodies negotiate inherited gestures. What emerges is less a retelling than an excavation—an attempt to expose the violence embedded in the beauty of this legend.

‘strike’, directed by Wu Tsang, is the culmination of six years of research into the opera Carmen, the representation of Carmen in other genres, and the flamenco subculture. For this research, Tsang spent a lot of time in Seville, Spain, over many years. Tsang, born in the US, is an award-winning visual artist whose projects have been presented at prestigious museums including MoMA (New York). Her company, Moved by the Motion, continues to be based in Zurich and produces works in collaboration with the Gessnerallee. 

Accessibility and practical information

• Step-free access

• Various language versions with English surtitles

• For sold-out performances, we reserve a small number of accessible seats (wheelchair spaces and beanbags). We ask anyone with accessibility needs to contact kasse@gessnerallee.ch.