Gorgeous Tongue by Lara Kramer (Quebec)

Anchored in this world and orbiting a universe beyond, a lone performer unfolds memories on stage through rhythmic scores. For Gorgeous Tongue, Lara Kramer invites Nêhiyaw/Métis dance artist Jeanette Kotowich to embody stories, dreams, and songs that stem from Lara’s Anishinaabe lineage. Entering Kramer’s artistic constellation, Kotowich performs multiple movement sequences to embrace the past and usher in a new world. Gorgeous Tongue is a celebration of Indigenous transmission, transformation, and futurity.

Dance Base Artistic Director, Tony Mills says: “A fascinating, slow and rthymic phyiscal investigation and experience.”

Warrior by Anne-Mareike Hess (Luxembourg)

My enemy is my fear
And it takes my breath away
So I call to fight with love, open up my heart
I call you to fight with love, open up your heart

Seduced by the belief that a fierce strongman, is all we need to get things done and save the world, choreographer Anne-Mareike Hess, takes us in her solo on a journey of becoming a warrior. Within a distorted and at the same time soft soundscape emerges a profoundly poetic image of human fragility and inner disruption. A dancing body caught in a perpetual fight with its emotions.

Her solo WARRIOR is the first part of the trilogy On Fighting, Dreaming, and Weaving, followed by DREAMER (2021) and WEAVER (2023), that explore female identity by drawing inspiration from mythology and popular culture. Constructed as an act of resistance, the piece draws its energy from deep within the choreographer, revealing and questioning the world we live in. Through the metamorphosis of the body and the evocative power of the warrior figure, Anne-Mareike Hess celebrates femininity in relation to strength.

Dance Base Artistic Director, Tony Mills says: “Anne createas a dystopian-esque world to manifest and explore represnetations of strength on the journey to becoming a warrior. A crisp aesthetic merges with song in this multi-layered work.”

What ever happened to Harmony Banks? by Tess Letham (UK)

From media darling to public downfall, this playful and poignant new show imagines the rise and fall of a fictional icon through a vibrant blend of dance-theatre and live documentary. Surreal, daring and sprinkled with bittersweet humour, it explores how women are shaped – and shattered – by the spotlight. Tess Letham brings this idiosyncratic character to life, offering a relatable glimpse into her humanity. Combining distinctive, improvisation-based movement with sharp cultural commentary, bizarre tenderness and unique physical presence, this is an innovative and thought-provoking work from one of Scotland’s boldest dance-theatre voices.

Dance Base Artistic Director, Tony Mills says: “Tess brings her wealth of performance skills in movement, humour and text to create an idiosyncratic, bizarre yet accessible movement microcosm that snaps between mockumentary to intimate solos. And through this unique physical language and world evoked, our main characters humanity is brought to life.”