break the dam.

In break the dam. we tackle a macrocosmos - a bigger group stands as a community that is more than the sum of its parts. In unison, they search the watery molecules of their bodies for memories of belonging, and a nourishing ancestral root system. Ripples, waves, fluidity, the pelvic basin and its potential for holding water and life are the focus. We wish to bridge the concepts of nature and culture by diving deeper into the topic of exploitation, both in the sense of people with wombs, still being silenced and instrumentalized in so many cultures, and the exploitation of water as a resource when being tamed through dams and canals, and brought out of homeostasis through the human-made climate crisis.

A metaphor lies within the set design: a ground made of earth and water, which at first is hard and immobile. As the performers dive into their cyclical motion, their feet, their bodies begin to stir what’s beneath them. Through the boundless force that this unity unleashes, rammed earth becomes muddy and mud becomes water. Stagnation ignites trauma, where there is motion there is freedom, there is care. All the droplets come together to create an ocean. They stir this apocalyptic ground back to movement, washing it away in order to move on and let go.

Premiere: Oct 2026, SZENE Salzburg, tanz_house festival - AT

Credits

Concept, Choreography: Rosana Ribeiro
Co-creation with:
Performers: Jadwiga Mordarska, Jin Lee, Melissa Ugolini
Dramaturgy: Verena Pircher
Costume Design: Sara Chéu
Light Design: Cárin Geada
Rehearsal Assistance: Melissa Ugolini
Sound Design and Composition: Peter Kastner
Text: Cláudia Lucas Chéu

Co-Production: SZENE Salzburg
Supported by BMKÖS, Land Salzburg, Stadt Salzburg
Creation Support: tanz_house