For love is as passionate as death…

Poetry of the Personal

Sex and Death is an innovative dance theatre piece incorporating movement, text and singing. A powerful, joyful solo work, the piece is a dialogue between Kali, Goddess of Destruction and the preciousness of the present moment. Sex and Death takes the audience on an intimate journey into the domain of love, using images of planting, reaping, sowing and falling. It explores the effects of loss and celebrates recovery and renewal.

In a moving and courageous performance by Anne O’Keeffe, Sex and Death takes the form of a ritual - a journey of transformation from girl to woman, from darkness to light, from naivety to realism and romantic optimism.

Engagement of the Senses

Sex and Death engages all the senses of the viewer, making it a deeply sensual, spiritual audience event. Personal, anecdotal text forms the through-line of the piece, supported by movement and singing. Movement-based imagery provides rich sub-text.

Singing and chanting are also inter-woven, influenced by Celtic, Bulgarian and other traditional vocal forms. The singing provides an emotional landscape, enhanced by live, original, acoustic guitar by Brendon Murley. Recorded love poetry, Buddhist chanting and environmental sounds form the basis of sound design by Warren Burt, with lighting design by Bernard Angell.

Rose petals are a key metaphor and design element in Sex and Death, surrounding a chair in the centre of the space. Through the course of the narrative, the chair transforms from wall to cage to alter, while the rose petals scatter across the stage, their smell filling the auditorium and enhancing the emotional journey of the piece.

Photography by Ian Dun