THE ART OF FEELING ALIVE
UNSHAMABLE
Emmanuelle Em
Next show
Sunday 15 November 2026
7:30 PM
Lisbon
Following the success of the premiere on 2 October 2026, UNSHAMABLE returns for an intimate in-the-round experience.
Truth · Body · Freedom
Emmanuelle Em
A Transformational Performance
I spent decades doubting my own truth.
Now I bring my story, my body and my voice onto the stage.
Truth without armour.
A living piece of art where dance, words, humour, silence and raw humanity become one language.
I perform from a place of pure, radical authenticity.
A story about the forgotten wisdom carried in women's bodies.
You'll be seated in a circle around me, becoming an even more integral part of the performance.
Closer. More intimate. More immersive.
Watch the trailer
23 seconds · sound on
I take you into the depths of my body.
Into the shame, the silence, the doubt and the memories I lost along the way.
Through dance, words, laughter and rage, I give a voice to what remained invisible for so long.AND I BECOME UNSHAMABLE
Walking the fine line between shadow and light, embracing my imperfect humanity"
If you're looking for inspiration to live more truthfully...Come.
Emmanuelle Em - 56 - On stage - Nothing left to hide - Nothing left to protect - Unfiltered
56. ON STAGE. UNFILTERED.
I spent decades questioning my memories and protecting the silence around me.
A lifetime of silence. One hour to remember.
At 48, I began to uncover what had remained buried for decades.
48 years old. That's how long it took.
For so many people who have lived through abuse, it can take decades to recognise what happened and begin to trust their own truth.
An incestual climate. Family silence. Missing memories. The constant doubt about what was real.
For eight years, I fought to break an unspoken pact of silence, passed down through generations of women.
A silence like a spell.
A spell that taught us to doubt ourselves, swallow our truth and protect everyone but ourselves.
I had to break that spell.
UNSHAMABLE is where I bring the invisible into the light.
Through my body, my voice, dance, music, humour, rage and tenderness, I reveal what abuse does to our bodies, our minds and our sense of truth.
And what it takes to break free, reclaim our power and dare to feel fully alive again.
"This performance is the result of decades spent choosing truth over comfort."
THIS IS NOT JUST A STORY TO WATCH. IT'S AN EXPERIENCE TO FEEL.
For one hour, I invite you into a world where dance, theatre, music and humour become one language.
Where laughter meets grief. Rage meets tenderness. And the unexpected becomes possible.
Nothing is performed for effect. Everything unfolds in real time.
You may recognise something of yourself in what unfolds before you.
"BECAUSE THE STORY IS NOT WHAT TRANSFORMS US. THE WAY WE MOVE THROUGH IT IS."
BEYOND WORDS. INTO THE BODY.
Some truths cannot be explained. They have to be felt. Shame survives in silence. It dissolves when expression is witnessed. And then humour returns. Because laughter comes back when the wound stops bleeding…
You may leave feeling more alive than when you arrived.
"Nothing needs to be understood when it is felt."
WHAT WOMEN AND MEN SAID AFTER THE SHOW
“I can't describe what I saw. But what I know is that there are shows you forget quickly - this one, I'll remember.”
“I loved the anger, the intensity. I want much more of that in my life.”
“It was very intimate, what you shared with us. I didn't know where it was going, and it was very special to see it unfold.”
“I saw my mom, my sister, my grandmother. And I saw me! You kept morphing into different women. I felt - wow, what a powerful woman. And what a beautiful thing it is to be a woman.”
Statement of intent
"I carry my voice completely. Without softening it. Without protecting anyone. Finally."
My voice is mine. But it carries the echoes of generations of women who were taught to remain silent.
UNSHAMABLE is my refusal to pass that silence on.
Some wounds end with us. Others become art.
This performance is both.
THE ART OF FEELING ALIVE BODY, TRUTH, PLEASURE, ART DARE TO LIVE YOUR TRUTH NOW.
“Mamma Emmanuelle, truth seeer, energy feeler, healer, inspiration, fantastic presence when you are lucky enough to be in her space, the boss witch !”
The artist
Emmanuelle Em
56 years old. White hair. No filter.
Artist, dancer, choreographer and somatic dance therapist.
After an MBA at ESSEC Paris, she chose dance and went on to create a dance school that brought together more than 700 dancers.
Today, she brings decades of artistic experience, embodied practice and a rare mastery of holding space, creating the safety where magic happens.
A mother of three, she has lived through a 30-year relationship and a profound reinvention of her life.
This is not the story of what happened to her.
It is the art that came out of it.
For presenters and programmers
I am looking for presenters, partners and humans, who feel and recognise the importance and impact of this work, and who want to help bring UNSHAMABLE to audiences around the world.
Format
- Runtime
- ~1 hour
- On stage
- Emmanuelle Em
- Artistic direction
- Emmanuelle Em and Marine Azria
- Creative midwife
- Laura Gonçalves
- First witnesses
- Clara Stewart - Marine Azria - Yann Henric - Jean-Luc Paulhe
- Language
- English - can also be performed in French and in Spanish
- Capacity
- Any configuration - from pocket theater to mid-size venue or in the round in a larger space
- Technical needs
- Sound · simple lighting · clear stage space · full tech rider available on request
- Next show
- Sunday 15 November 2026 - 7:30 PM - Lisbon
- Premiere
- 2 October 2026
- Availability
- To be discussed
This show can also open the door to the "Become Unshamable retreat" - a 1- or 2-day format facilitated by Emmanuelle Em.
Sample retreat structure
Evening before
UNSHAMABLE the performance
Day 1
A facilitated space for movement, words, music, connection and authentic sharing. Bringing the theatre experience into participants' own bodies and lives.
Day 2
An optional continuation for deeper exploration, expression and play. Integration and shared creative practice.