through warm temperatures - TOUR PACK
through warm temperatures affirms past beliefs in castor oil: a natural remedy, an elixir, a historic and abundant natural source that transcends categorisation and boundaries.
The work is inspired by conversations & guidance on reconnecting with natural sources; reflection on our bodies undergoing change, influenced by constructs of time and environment; foregrounding the relationship between health and embodiment practices that centres individuals’ diasporic interpretations of well-being.
Vocal callings accompany choreographies, live cello and electronic melodies cocoon the audience. At times the performers move through the audience to the thrust stage, inviting witnessing of solo, duo and collective moments of healing.
Team
Director, Concept and Performance Mele Broomes
Collaborative Musician - Simone Seales
Performers - Divine Tasina, Kemono L. Riot, KJ Clarke Davis, Jessica
Producer: Rhea Lewis
Originally commissioned by Edinburgh Art Festival.
Show Appeal
The work explores connection and harmony with local environment.
The themes of the work explore decolonial feminist perspectives on the African and Caribbean diasporic experience. A production which centres black femme, womxn and non binary experiences.
This work speaks to what care is - for communities and for ourselves. How we find and reclaim our voice. What ancestral wisdom we inherit, and what we share and pass on. Healing moments, through release and in celebrating those everyday rituals of care for body. Afro-futurist themes that would suit wide range of venues and festivals which programme contemporary performance, dance interdisciplinary work and music.
Award winning show.
Performed only once in Scotland to sold out audience (Edinburgh Art Festival Opening Festival), presented a lighter version in Marseille (ActOral Festival). Will present in May 2025 at Dance International Glasgow (Tramway).
Showcasing Mele as a pioneering choreographer and artist within the Scottish ecology. Her choreographic voice sculpts contemporary techniques with roots in African Caribbean dance. Her over-arching visual language aesthetics are striking, playing with light and artistic choices of what is visible/ invisible through an unveiling for audiences. Her performances often transports audiences to liminal spaces, offering personal and collective reflections and sites of re-imaginings.
TOUR PACKAGE & AUDIENCE CONNECTIONS
Central to Mele and Rhea’s (as producer) creative practice is collaboration and care, we are excited to have conversations with you about ways to connect with your audiences in a deeper way that is rooted in a decolonial practice of care.
A tour package (including accessible routes in for different audiences) could consist of:
Can be presented with audience participation with several loop recording /video that is triggered by all the audience members and performed by the dancer/s see link here
workshops with local dance artists (Mele has extensive experience as a teacher and mentor to early career dancers and dance artists). This could be connected to dance / performing art schools or independent run with local artists
Post-show discussion - we welcome conversation with promoters on how this could be connected with local creatives + thinkers for deeper dialogue rooted in the locality of that particular platform
Holding Space: this is our BPoC only space for reflection, healing and community. This is important for audience development (particularly in western countries where institutions are predominately white-led), we would be interested in opening up this space to be open to all and how that may look like would depend on each location.
Movement and Meditation workshop led by Mele and Simone.
Translation - the text within the work exists in English and French. We would work with you for any additional language translation as required (this could also exist in a freesheet or programme). We would also work with you to explore possibilities of sign language interpretation specific to your location.
Audio described performances.
Printed QR codes/ freesheets which have written description of the spoken text
Technical: Sound, Staging, Lighting
Thrust Stage - there are several times where performers move from audience/ seating area to main performance space (this is red persian style carpet)
Can be performed in various venues and configurations from traditional theatre spaces to musical halls to outdoor sites like courtyards.
Suitable in theatre/ music halls where seating bank is not out, so that there is intimate and comfortable atmosphere. Audiences can stand or sit on comfortable seating -beanbags, cushions, chairs and benches. Depending on venue configurations, the audience should be able to move within the space.
Technical requirements: Sound Engineer, microphones and stands, piano stool or chair (cellist), speakers 4 point system. The company bring instruments including loop station.
Full technical rider available on request.
Press
For through warm temperatures - Bestie Movement Award article here
“The Movement Award for Mele Broomes’ performance through warm temperatures at Custom Lane (Edinburgh Art Festival)
Mele Broomes opened Edinburgh Art Festival with a mesmerising performance, working with collaborators including cellist Simone Seales. Thought-provoking and intimate, we wanted to recognise the work and its position within the Edinburgh Art Festival, as an opening event commissioned to set the stage for a rejuvenated programme of radical work.”