I am honoured to be performing in the world premiere of Marina Abramović's Balkan Erotic Epic tomorrow evening at @factory_international with a huge company of brilliant performers. The work is an amazing feast of ritual, eroticism, love, loss, hope and, for the people who know who have already seen it in dress and previews, it has been described as a mind blowing experience!!
Come celebrate the genius work of @abramovicinstitute@bllyzh@blenardazizaj and other brilliant creatives.
Closes 19th October!!
Photography @marco_anelli_studio
#marinaabramović #balkaneroticepic #performanceart #manchester #art #artist #reddress #milkritual
"I will be having milk poured on my body for four hours continuously."
We caught up with performance artist Rowena Gander (@rowenagander ) who will be performing in two scenes in Balkan Erotic Epic.
Balkan Erotic Epic explores the eroticism, spirituality and traditions of Marina Abramović’s (@abramovicinstitute ) homeland through 13 visceral scenes.
In the Wedding Rituals scene, Rowena will have milked poured on her for four hours - re-enacting a Balkan bride being prepared for her wedding day and symbolising purification and fertility.
Rowena mentions that, even after her four hour rehearsal, she could still feel milk being poured on to her body!
She also appears in the Massaging the Breast scene, which features women of all ages mourning their husbands.
You can read more about each scene in our official programme - available to purchase in our shop or pre-order with your ticket 📖
Balkan Erotic Epics begins at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, next week (Thursday 9 October).
🎟️ Don't miss out - it's your last chance to book tickets!
🔗 Book now by clicking the link in Factory International's bio.
Freeing the Body with the Pole, a 4 hour improvised performance with the Pole, was a profound experience that felt more like 40 minutes. I lost concept of time and was completely present. I am still processing my choices, the energy of the people who shared the space with me, and how we arrived at the ending we did.
Thank you @wing_it_impro for providing a platform for me to premier this new show. Tech and staff and @unity_theatre were welcoming and accommodating, as always, especially Xenia who improvised lights for 4 hours with me.
Also very grateful to @cathybutterworth1 who has mentored and encouraged me to see beyond my limits. And @dr.c.13 who facilitated, held space and provided care before and after performance.
Love the documentation by the one and only @clarebonthrone
#pole #performance #sunday #improvisation #movement #art #artist #performance #pdsunday #trick #play #art #experimentalpole #endure #challenge #bepresent #performanceart #artistsoninstagram #marina #freeingthememory #abramovic #strongwomen
"Powerful" "phenomenal" "exhausting" "emotionally provocative" "funny" "heart breaking" "skilfully striking" (@artsreviewhub ) are just a few of the words audiences have used to describe RED FLAG, which was commissioned by @leapdancefestival@culture_liverpool as part of their 2026 festival.
Lighting by Xenia 💡
#performance #artist #art #impact #liverpool
Diluting Lesbian
17th June 2026
Arts Centre
Diluting Lesbian is a four-hour durational performance in a small shower cubicle, where the performer repeats the word “lesbian” in a ritualized, mantra-like rhythm. Audience members are invited to speak the word, which is returned to them in their tone, exposing, reflecting, and amplifying how the word is socially held. The constant water threatens to wash the word away, yet it persists, resisting dilution and reclaiming its defining and clarifying power. The performance confronts the lingering stigma and taboo of “lesbian,” transforming its supposed dirtiness into endurance, ritual, and relentless specificity. Over time, repetition, exhaustion, and relational exchange shape the texture and tone of the work, giving it a dynamic, evolving presence.
#sexuality #durationalperformance #performanceart
"Gander’s masterly command of the stage brings her natural inner and outer beauty to the fore. Charismatic and mesmerising throughout, her eyes literally transfix you, holding your attention, drawing you in, and then releasing you, sometimes slowly, sometimes not." - @artsreviewhub
Red Flag 🚩 1/5/26
Beautiful response from audience and so grateful to all who came to support this important new work.
Thanks to collaborator @izziemajor@ariannasansone_dancer@digtaldance and to @leapdancefestival@culture_liverpool@aceagrams for making it happened. @unity_theatre staff and tech team for Leap 👏.
Photography by @shayster57 and @brianrobertsimages
#neework #artist #femaledirector #performanceart
Announcement 📣
A new work, RED FLAG, by @rowenagander , in collaboration with @izziemajor commissioned by @leapdancefestival and @cultureliverpool
Through a charismatic, yet unsettling figure, Red flag exposes the impact of emotional abuse and objectification in intimate relationships. The work shifts from voice to body, blending text, physical theatre and performance art.
Conversation: 27th March 2-3pm at @24hopestreet
Premier: 1st May @leapdancefestival@unity_theatre
#theatre #art #Liverpool #lesbian #relation
It was an honour to be in my role as a choreographer and movement director with the cast of Wytch!
WYTCH is inspired by the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials. Blending haunting music, physical theatre, and contemporary storytelling, WYTCH explores fear, superstition, and injustice while giving voice to those silenced by history.
Written by @laurenhendricks00 and Ryan Carey-Hills, with musical direction by @ndsanders and direction by James McPherson.
Photo by @albluofficial@edgehilluniversity
#choreographer #musicaltheatre #physcaltheatre #movement #witch
