ESPE

An epic and intimate auto-fiction solo dance, ESPE tells the story of a woman born from the fire of persecution, drawing upon nature, ancestral bloodlines, rituals and rhythms to challenge themes of identity, expectation and belonging, where real history sits alongside memory, myth and imagination.

Told through spiralling contemporary dance, driving percussive footwork, multilingual storytelling, song and craft, ESPE is accompanied by a powerful, layered soundtrack infused by a collective spirit of artists from Scottish, Gaelic, Cape Breton, Spanish and Traveller cultures and traditions.

At the centre of the work is a woman who has spent a lifetime being told — directly and indirectly — what she should or shouldn’t do, be, or show. Within ESPE, the mask of pretense that has appeased for too long, has been replaced by a spirit that defies anyone who presumes to define without first asking.

ESPE celebrates the messy, funny, painful and exhilarating truth that we might be many things at once — and that perhaps belonging begins the moment we just start being our authentic selves.

Performed at close, the work flows between fierce physicality and stillness, humour and frustration, tenderness and rebellion. Unapologetic and unpredictable audiences are drawn to the edge of their seats, never quite sure whats going to happen next.

ESPE is short for Esperanza — Hope.  And the curious thing about hope is that once she’s in your blood, she never quite leaves you… does she?