Sophiensæle Sophiensæle

Paula Almirón: The River and The Devil – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin

Saison 25/26
Hosted Listening Session, Tea Ceremony Free admission
20:00
Hochzeitssaal
Performance Ticket
20:00
Hochzeitssaal
Performance Ticket
Performance, Concert, Exhibition Ticket Premiere
Exhibition Free admission
Performance, Concert, Exhibition Ticket
Exhibition Free admission
17:00
Hochzeitssaal & Kantine
Lecture Performance Ticket
Performance, Concert, Exhibition Ticket
Exhibition Free admission
17:00
Hochzeitssaal & Kantine
Lecture Performance Ticket
Performance, Concert, Exhibition Ticket

Paula Almirón:
The River and The Devil

The River and The Devil 6 ©Stanislav Dobak
Paula Almirón:
The River and The Devil
Dance, Performance
Duration: 1h
English, Spanish
25€/20€/15€/10€

German premiere

It is said that during colonial times, in the Bolivian Altiplano Plateau, the river Desaguadero with its uncontrollable nature was demonized as “the Devil” by colonial settlers. Since then, the river has dried out, turning from water to salt after centuries of continuous extraction. Set in the salty ruins of the vanished river, The River and The Devil invokes the devil as the river’s guardian and embarks on a search for the remnants of fragmented stories, and the mythological figures and spirits that once inhabited the river.

With The River and The Devil, Brussels-based Argentinian choreographer Paula Almirón comes to Berlin for the first time. She works at the intersection of choreography and writing, exploring the ongoing intra-action between the social, the spiritual and the geological realms. Since 2019, her work has focused on “water choreographies”. For The River and The Devil she combines dance, visual art, sound and collective storytelling to create a haunting meditation on loss and resilience.

The information on accessibility is still in progress and will be updated as soon as possible. If any questions remain unanswered until then, please feel free to contact the communication department at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com or 030 278 900 35. Please note that details may change by the day of the event. Therefore, if you find out after you have purchased your ticket that the performance is no longer accessible to you, you can contact us for a ticket return at ticketing@sophiensaele.com or 030 278 900 45 until 5 business days after the event (Monday through Friday between 10am and 6pm).

Audience

  • During the performance, the audience is invited to partake in the reading of a text. Each audience member chooses between taking part, just listening, or other forms yet to be discovered together.

Early boarding

If, for artistic reasons, the door to the auditorium does not open until very shortly before the performance begins, there is the option of early boarding.

Tickets

  • Reservations can be made via the ticket telephone at 030 283 52 66, Monday to Friday from 4pm–6pm
  • Via the online ticket shop
  • At the box office

You can also find more information about accessibility at the house here.

Concept, direction, performance: Paula Almirón
Dramaturgical advisers: Simon Asencio, Louise Vanneste, David Weber-Krebs
Conceptual dramaturg: Wouter De Raeve
Visual artist, salt sculptures: Florencia Almirón
Music: Vica Pacheco
Sound: Simon Lehmans
Light design: Estelle Gautier
Textual partner, poetic support: Simon Asencio
Costumes: Paula Almirón in dialogue with Eliane Bertschi
Scenography: Paula Almirón in dialogue with Florencia Almirón 
Residency support: wpZimmer, kunstencentrum BUDA, Kunstenwerkplaats, C-TAKT, La Bellone Maison de Spectacle, La Serre Arts Vivants (Montréal), CND Paris, SEN (Studio Etangs Noirs), Tenerife LAV, GC Het Huys, Meyboom Artist-run Spaces, Festival Próximamente – KVS

A production by Four-Thirty-One vzw & Hiros in co-production with C-Takt netwerk, KAAP, Kunstenwerkplaats. With the support of Flemish Government & Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie.The guest performance takes place as part of Making Life in the Ruins, a festival by Sophiensæle, funded by the Capital Cultural Fund (HKF). Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.

Paula Almirón, born in Buenos Aires and based in Brussels, works at the intersection of choreography and writing, exploring the ongoing intra-action between the social, the spiritual and the geological realms. Since 2019, her work has focused on “water choreographies”, with projects like Always Coming Hole (2021) and The River and The Devil (2025). Almirón collaborates with Wouter De Raeve on I Build My Language With Rocksin Brussels’ Northern Quarter and co-coordinated M33, a space supporting local neighborhood movements, while curating Swamp Sacrifices, a program centered on non-productivity and the Brussels swamp.

Almirón works as a dancer, choreographer, mentor, and outside eye in diverse contexts and has collaborated with artists like Louise Vanneste and David Weber-Krebs, with her work showcased at venues such as Bâtard Festival, Beursschouwburg, Veem House for Performance, Kanal-Centre Pompidou, Kunsthalle Zurich, and Munar Arte in Buenos Aires, among others.

  • The River and The Devil 9 _ Raquel Echevarria
    © Raquel Echevarria
  • The River and the Devil 2  ©Raquel Echevarria
    © Raquel Echevarria
  • The River and The Devil 7 ©Stanislav Dobak
    © Stanislav Dobak
  • The River and The Devil 3 ©Raquel Echevarria
    © Raquel Echevarria
Hochzeitssaal
Hochzeitssaal