
ROOTS TOUR BOOK
ROOTS
Full film footage.
Production information.

Information & full show footage coming soon.
ROOTS premiered at the Black Mountain Shared Space Project (BMSS) in West Belfast, a meaningful location beside the "million brick" peace wall that has long divided the communities of Springmartin and Springfield.
Partnered with Sow Grateful, garden designed, the along with Poet Maria McManus, Sound designer Isaac Gibson, and dramaturg Hanna Slattne, ROOTS was inspired by the communities of Black Mountain and Belfast.
The performance also addresses universal themes of climate, biodiversity, heritage, collaboration, and—most importantly—hope.Audiences experience ROOTS in small groups, each wearing a different colour high-vis vest and silent-disco headphones to immerse them in the garden's unique sights, sounds, and scents. Apart from shared opening and closing scenes, dancers remain in their designated garden zones, performing scenes for each group as they rotate through, creating an intimate, ever-evolving experience.
The headphones add a personal, introspective layer, enhancing audience engagement with the environment and themes. Audiences are invited to connect with the environment through interactive moments, such as smelling flowers, grinding herbs, meditating, and even holding hands with strangers for a joyful dance.
The ROOTS garden is divided into three thoughtfully themed areas:CYCLES: Representing the lifecycle from seed to plant to compost, this area celebrates seasonal cycles, wilding, gardening, and transformation.
It honour's traditions of maternal care, medicinal practices, remedies, and the wisdom of working the earth passed down through generations.RELATIONSHIP: This area explores biodiversity, symbiosis, and ecology on micro and macro levels, including pollination and interconnectedness.
It reflects on the relationships within divided communities, offering space for connection to nature and one another.PLACE: Set in a woodland garden, this area embodies roots, sensory memories, and lived experiences. It represents nature as a guardian, providing shelter and holding space for reflection, remembrance, and protection for future generations.
Each area invites the audience to engage deeply with nature, community, and the themes of legacy and interconnectedness.Looking forward, we envision ROOTS as a flexible model that can be adapted to venues and communities worldwide. By partnering with local organisations and artists, we can create customised ROOTS performances that honour each location’s heritage, flora, and traditions while celebrating our universal connections to nature, relationships, and place.