“Maja has wings that sparkle and shimmer!”
The Rainbow Butterfly is a family show aimed at 3-8 year olds, with an opportunity to have a community cast of children aged 9-11 to join and support the storytelling.
The show is an immersive imaginative experience blending opportunities for families to join in with sounds and movements and eventually come up and join the performers on a carnival parade in outer space.
Maja’s JOY is contagious as they embark on an imaginative transformational journey exploring the world and outer space as a Rainbow Butterfly!
The Rainbow Butterfly interweaves traditional storytelling with aerial circus, graceful contortion, and dynamic contemporary and Hip Hop dance.
Inspired by the lifecycle of the butterfly, this children’s story invites us to honour our imagination, ourselves and Mother Earth, and to explore what it is to be non binary, celebrating heroes such as Mae Jemison, the first Black woman astronaut! It also invites audience members to take part in the show, make sounds and have fun!
Performed by artists from the global majority, this show celebrates how unique we all are using creativity, carnival, aerial circus, beatbox, and Hip Hop dance, helping Maja fly creatively all the way to the moon (because the Earth without Art is just Eh!)
The aerial silks you will experience are painted by textiles artist Zephyr Liddell and the show comes with an accompanying story/colouring book published, illustrated and written by the company.
Creators and Performers: Ella Mesma, Joana Dias and Ama Rouge (plus Georgina and Jay X in the creation)
Music: Marv Radio and edited by Martín Berger
Silks and Costumes: Zephyr Liddell
Lights: David Bernard
Film and Photography: Daniel Martin, Jake Morgan, David Levine, Jodie Canwell,
Movement Consultants: Claire Harvey (Aerial Silks), Emma Houston (breaking), and Bel/Wol (Beatbox).
Dramaturgy: Eva Martinez
We are grateful to Vicki Dela Amedume for her support with the making of this work.
The choreographers and dancers acknowledge with gratitude that this dance piece is informed by breaking (breakdance), Beatbox, Samba, Soca and Aerial dance.
We acknowledge the painful history of colonialism and enslaved people that led to the creation of these diasporic dances. We commit to honouring and respecting them and their history. We acknowledge all unrecognised cultural lineages and untold stories.
This piece can be performed in rural settings, theatres, libraries, schools, and outdoor events and festivals.
Running time: 35 minutes + Stay and Play 25 minutes
No. Performers: 2 (total on road 2-3)
Breaking/Carnival Dance Lesson
Butterfly Painting Sessions
Maypole Workshop,
Book Readings
Creating and Rehearsing on a Community Cast (aged 8-11 who will be involved in the final show!)
Online Resources to support enhanced understanding of the production
We also have an online platform (Utwopia) where we host exciting, virtual events!
