Lebanese dance artist Sarah Fadel and Scotland-based theatre practitioner Liz Strange began collaborating in 2022 as part of Precipitate,  they connected over a shared experience of unpredictability in their lives.

They work together online every week, but it has been two years since they last shared a studio. A lot has changed since then. They have changed. Using creativity amid crisis as a starting point, over the next two weeks they will explore what unfolds as they meet in person again—in a process that demands ultimate flexibility.

I Might Not Make It is a dance and movement project that examines creativity amid crisis, reflecting the barriers artists face in sustaining their work through unpredictability out of their control.  The work embraces uncertainty, inviting us to question ‘resilience’ narratives that frame creativity as a means of coping with pressures that should be tackled at a systemic level.

Influenced by Rest is Resistance by multidisciplinary artist, activist, writer, and theologian Tricia Hersey, the artists will install a dedicated rest space in the studio as part of their daily practice, inviting guests to engage with it before the sharing. This will inform their research, as they explore the tensions surrounding rest in survival contexts—where rest may not always be safe or accessible, reflecting the complex realities of these lived experiences.

This work is being supported through Manipulate Festival’s Open Studio programme, where Manipulate supports Scottish artists at a critical juncture in their practice to develop new projects and new ways of working.

Audiences are invited  to join Sarah and Liz on Friday 14 February at Dance Base, as part of Manipulate Festival, for an experimental sharing at the end of this period of creative research and development.

• 2:30–3:30 pm Join the artists in an open rest space, offering a chance to slow down and connect with yourself and the studio environment.
• 3:30–4:30 pm The artists will share excerpts of their work-in-progress and lead a discussion on their collaboration and creative process.

Book your tickets here

About the Artists

Sarah Fadel is a choreographer, mover, researcher, educator, and translator. She holds an MFA in Choreography from the University of Roehampton – London, a certificate in dance studies from University Paris III – France, and a BA in translation from USEK – Lebanon. She currently serves as the Assistant Artistic Director of Al Sarab Dance Company, an Assistant Professor of Dance at the Lebanese American University, and a committee member of the International Dance Day Festival in Lebanon. Some of her research interests are: The intersection of movement and linguistics, the use of translation principles in choreographic processes, and audience research and engagement.

Liz Strange is an Edinburgh-based actor, theatre facilitator, and physical theatre performer who specialises in visually driven theatre that is devised, interactive, and subversive. She has worked with companies such as Company Of Wolves, Mischief La-Bas, Al Seed Productions, Hearts & Minds, Tatraum Projekte Schmidt, Imaginate, Plutôt la Vie, Salty Dolls, Dancebase, Active Inquiry, Magnetic North, and Surge. Liz trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and The Desmond Jones School of Mime and Physical Theatre, both in London. She continues to train further in ensemble practice, clown, and bouffon. She also has a degree in Community Education from Edinburgh University.

Emma Jayne Park (Dramaturg). Emma/Emma Jayne/EJ has been called a dancer, theatre-maker, collaborator, facilitator, movement director, dramaturg, intimacy coordinator, activist, organiser, and occasional drag king. They’re not fussed about definitions. Their work is a combination of making, thinking, and doing that seeks to narrow the gaps between ideologies and actions. Often linked to the socio-political or the seemingly absurd, it explores recurring themes of belonging, intimacy, failure, and power.  Since 2019 their work has focused on degrowth, long term collaborations and sustainability, including an ongoing collaboration with Yaraqa (Lebanon). Based in rural South-West Scotland, Emma currently travels between Central Scotland, London, and Lebanon to work and live.