Mélissa Von Vépy
Mélissa Von Vépy
The Franco-Swiss artist Mélissa Von Vépy started her circus training at the age of five at the Ateliers des Arts du Cirque de Genève, later joining the French national school CNAC and graduating in 1999 with a specialisation in trapeze.
In 2000 she founded the company Moglice-Von Verx with Chloé Moglia, which went on to make three shows: A Particular Place in the Belly (2001); Troubled Times (2003); and I look up, I look down… (2005), which won the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques – SACD’s prize for circus arts.
Since 2007, Von Vépy has been pursuing a singular line of artistic research in which she designs unique scenographies that form a central part of each performance. Connected to theatre and dance, yet always based in aerial expression, her work deals with gravity as both a physical reality and a concept and metaphor.
Her encounter with butoh, and particularly with the practitioner Sumako Koseki, has had a great influence on her artistic work, as have close collaborations with composers Jean-Damien Ratel and Stéphan Oliva.
As a director she created the performances Hook (2007), Into the Sky’s Jaw (2009), and Mirror, Mirror (2009).
Since 2010 her projects have been created under a new company name, Cie Happés. The French word captures the experience of being caught up in something – of losing oneself within a universe of poetic, philosophical and dreamlike metaphors that evoke essential feelings and questions.
Following this path, she has created the performances VieLLeicht (2013); I Hate the Spring (2015); The Aerial (2017), co-written with Pascale Henry; and Black M1 (2018).
Melissa Von Vépy is currently an associate artist at Nexon’s circus centre, Le Sirque (2019-2022), while Cie Happés is supported by the Occitanie Region.
Mélissa Von Vépy, a Franco-Swiss artist, started circus at the age of 5 at the Ateliers des Arts du Cirque de Genève, then joined the CNAC, from which she graduated in 1999 as a trapeze artist.
In 2000, she founded the Moglice-Von Verx Company with Chloé Moglia and they created three shows together : Un Certain endroit du ventre (2001), Temps Troubles (2003), I look up, I look down… (2005). With the latter they obtain the SACD prize for circus arts.
Since 2007, Mélissa Von Vépy has been pursuing a singular artistic research in which the scenographic elements she designs specifically for each show are an integral part of the dramaturgy of her plays, which are always based on aerial expression linked to theatre and dance: the physical and inner dimensions of Gravity.
Her meeting with the Butô and Sumako Koseki influenced her artistic universe and also by close collaborations with composers Jean-Damien Ratel and Stéphan Oliva.
She directed Croc (2007), Dans la gueule du ciel and Miroir, Miroir (2009).
From 2010, her creations will be created under a new company name: “Happés” meaning caught up in French as being “sucked” into a universe of poetic, philosophical and dreamlike metaphors evoking universal feelings and questions.
It is this atypical groove that she continues to follow through the shows VieLLeicht (2013), J’ai horreur du printemps (2015), L’Aérien (2017), co-written with Pascale Henry, and Noir M1
Mélissa Von Vépy is an artist associated with Nexon’s Circus Centre (2019-2022) and La Cie Happés has an agreement with the Occitanie Region.(2018).
the creations
2023: Piano Rubato (creation January 2023; duo)
2021: The Flyings (creation February 2021; quintet)
2018: Black M1 (creation February 2018; solo)
2017: The Aerial (premiere March 2017; solo)
2015: I Hate the Spring (concert show with a jazz quartet)
2013: VieLLeicht (solo)
2009: Mirror, Mirror (duo for mirror and piano)
2009: Into the Sky’s Jaw (duo)
2007: Hook (solo, co-direction with C. Ikeda) and En suspens (quintet, co-direction with C. Moglia)
With Chloé Moglia
2005: I look up, I look down… (duo)
2003: Troubled Times (trio)
2001: A Particular Place in the Belly (duo)
Performer: Les Sublimes (2003) by Guy Alloucherie; UCHUUU-cabaret (2008) by Carlotta Ikeda; Hans was Heiri (2012) by Zimmermann & de Perrot; Ce qui n’a pas de nom (2015) by Pascale Henry; Talk Show (2017) by Gaël Santisteva.
Workshop leader and outside eye:
Mélissa Von Vépy regularly leads aerial workshops and masterclasses. She has also worked with several companies as an outside eye.
She actually works on the creation of the show Plonger (autumn 23) from Sarah Devaux of the Menteuses company, having a “compagnonnage” relationship with the Happés company.
Crédit photo : Ximena Castro