The Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco and SFDFF proudly present a thought-provoking event that explores the intersection of dance, motherhood, and work-life balance. This unique event will feature the screening of the acclaimed dance-related Swiss film, Becoming Giulia by Laura Kaehr followed by a dynamic panel discussion with women who are both successful professionals and mothers.
“Women in Motion: Mastering Career and Motherhood”
Wednesday, October 23
5:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Swissnex in San Francisco, The Embarcadero, Pier 17, Suite 800
FREE ADMISSION – CLICK HERE TO RSVP
ABOUT THE FILM
Becoming Giulia (Switzerland, 2022, 103 min.)
In Italian/German with English subtitles.
“Becoming Giulia” follows the life and career of Giulia Tonelli, principal dancer at the Zurich Opera House, as she returns from maternity leave. She has to fight to find her place and a new balance between the competitive and extremely demanding world of an elite ballet company and her new family life.
The main film will be preceded by Syncope, a short dance film by Linus von Stumberg
PANEL DISCUSSION
Following the film, a panel comprised of Frances Chung, Principal Dancer at San Francisco Ballet, Laura Kaehr, Director Becoming Giulia, and Sophie Lamparter, Founder and Managing Partner of DART Labs, moderated by Jale Yoldas, Cultural and Public Diplomacy Officer of the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco, will lead a discussion on the challenges and rewards of balancing a career in dance, arts, and technology with motherhood. Panelists will share personal experiences, reflect on the unique demands of their careers, and discuss strategies for maintaining work-life balance in demanding and competitive industries.
Frances Chung (Principal Dancer at the San Francisco Ballet)
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Frances Chung trained at Goh Ballet Academy before joining San Francisco Ballet in 2001. She was promoted to soloist in 2005 and to principal dancer in 2009. Chung has danced such major roles as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake; Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty; Swanilda in Coppélia; Cinderella in Wheeldon’s Cinderella, Elizabeth Lavenza in Scarlett’s Frankenstein; Giselle in Tomasson’s Giselle; Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker; Kitri in Don Quixote. She has created roles in ballets, including Forsythe’s Pas/Parts 2016; Peck’s In the Countenance of Kings, McGregor’s Borderlands, Scarlett’s Hummingbird and Fearful Symmetries, Possokhov’s Classical Symphony, Wheeldon’s Borealis, Rhoden’s Let’s Begin at the End among others. Chung received the Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Performance for the 2013 Repertory Season. Chung is a mother of two, her son Forest is 5 years old and her daughter Faye is 22 months old.
Laura Kaehr (director, writer, and film choreographer)
Born in Locarno, Switzerland, Laura Kaehr received her training as a professional ballet dancer at the Centre de Danse de Cannes, Rosella Hightower, and at the Academy of Ballet, San Francisco, CA. She danced at the Zurich Opera. She studied the Sanford-Meisner technique with Jack Waltzer in Paris and New York and worked as an actress, in the award-winning television series “Déchaînées”.
Laura studied film directing and screenwriting at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and at the University of California (UCLA) in Los Angeles, graduating in 2018. Her debut short film “1927” opened at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2014. She is the co-author of the TV series “TILT”, which aired on SRF Swiss Television in December 2017. Laura is co-founder and co-president of SWAN (Swiss Women’s Audiovisual Network). A member of Women in Film, Hollywood, CA, which promotes gender equality and diversity in film. After a few short films “New World”, and fashion film “Avian” for the brand YVY, in 2019 she started filming her first feature film “Becoming Giulia”.
In 2022 “Becoming Giulia” premiered at the Zurich Film Festival and won the Audience Award, becoming a national blockbuster. Distribution: national First Hand, and international Sales agents Cercamon.
Sophie Lamparter (Founder of DART Labs)
Sophie is a connector. For the last 14 years she has been building international networks between Switzerland, Europe and the US. Sophie co-founded DART Ventures to invest in Swiss & European startups in health and climate technologies thriving on the US market.
Prior to founding DART she was Deputy CEO at swissnex San Francisco, Switzerland’s Innovation Outpost in San Francisco. She helped create a new hub at Pier 17 in San Francisco and was instrumental in building the US strategy and partnerships for Swiss entrepreneurs. As an operator for Mindmaze, a neuro-technology company and Switzerland’s first unicorn, she lead their US market entry efforts as part of their initial US team.
Sophie was named one of the 100 Digital Shapers in Switzerland 2018, 2020 and 2022, works as an expert to the European Commission and spoke at events like SXSW, Ars Electronica, Lift Conference, and Gray Area. Sophie gave birth for her first daughter in January 2024.
