THE KETTLE IS ALWAYS ON
About rituals and sisterhood: an acrobatic dance duet

Two sisters balance, both literally and figuratively, between their shared history and their personal differences. Through handbalancing, acro-dance and subtle irony, they reflect on their unconventional upbringing in a travelling circus family, where familial rituals offered a sense of grounding, sometimes to the point of obsession. Why do we cling so persistently to these habits? And how do we honour the rituals of the people we love, even when we don’t fully understand them?

In this physical performance, the sisters search together for a shared ritual. Melody longs for calm, tea and a tidy table. Lily wants to let loose, seeking energy and movement. As they share the stage, their worlds collide. How do you stay in balance when the other moves in a different direction? How do you hold yourself upright when you have to carry something together? To complete the ritual of the performance, they must embrace their differences. In doing so, the piece grows into a new ritual in which they find shared meaning in a world that is constantly shifting.

Melody & Lily grew up in a travelling circus family and were constantly on the move. Their home consisted of the backpack of belongings they carried with them, and of the daily rituals they practiced. In an environment where change was the norm, these rituals offered stability. Practising circus together was one of them, but so were the personal rituals around packing, unpacking and arranging their carefully chosen items. All those small rituals and carried objects reveal something about who we are, what we value, and how we connect with ourselves or with others. Before the sisters each go their own way, their paths meet here and now. They look back together on the rituals they created as children, on their bond as sisters, and on that sense of home within their nomadic existence. 

CREDITS CREATED & PERFORMED BY Melody Nolan •  Lily Nolan OUTSIDE EYE Noëmi Wagner DRAMATURGICAL ADVICE Aurelia Brailowsky COSTUMES Lisa Chudalla MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN Luke Deane SCENOGRAPHY Luka Viool LIGHT DESIGN Cerian Mason PRODUCER Juliette Talakua PRODUCED BY TENT House for Contemporary Circus CO-PRODUCERS De Landing • PERPLX vzw SUPPORTED BY Amsterdam Fund for the Arts • Gemeente Rotterdam • Dioraphte • Van Bijleveltstichting • Stichting Mostert – Van der Meijden RESIDENCIES Silence Residency • Arts Printing House • De Clinch • Latitude 50 • Motion Chapel • PERPLX • CIRKlabo • Korzo

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