Listen to the Forest

Listen to the Forest We are more than a show. We are a Forest which wants to grow and have a space to breathe.

We believe in creating a space for the Forest to speak and remind us how to listen to her voice.

23/03/2025

⚘️ It was the Spring Equinox a few days ago, which is the perfect time to take our first step towards what we want to achieve in the upcoming months.

🌿 I planted many seeds because I have big dreams.
But the moment I put my hands on the ground and felt the connection with the soil, I realised that the most important seed doesn't need to be planted.
Our connection with the soil, with the humus, with the Earth is one of the biggest gifts we receive and it is one of those gifts which can make all seeds grow and all dreams come true.
💟 We don't need to plant this. We need to cultivate it and take care of it 💟
Without the soil, no living being is able to survive.
Soil is life and our being grounded to it is a primary source of creativity, love and connection.

🌱 So I decided that, besides the seeds I planted, I will let myself explore the connection with the ground.
I will dance and feel the music meeting the ground underneath my feet.
I will build my relationships around strong and rooted foundations.
I will help the Forest grow from the ground and inspire new people 🌳

16/03/2025

🙃 I learned how easy it is for me to drift, lose the focus and chase a thousand different things at the same time. I learned that it is easy but doesn't do any good to me because it makes me feel that I can never rest in one place, that I always need to keep going?

(Keep going but where?)

🚴🏼‍♀️ To the next appointment. To the next application. To the next relationship. Time is running and I need to run faster.
I'll go. I'll run. I'll come but where am I? Where can I find myself in all of this chaos?

(There is a place to be YOU. Do you remember?)

🦋 It's my 'space to breathe' where I can just take a seat and feel my breath invigorating my body.
It is a space within me where the Forest can speak to me. I can write anything and dance as freely as I am capable of in there.
Every time I visit it, I feel alive and connected with what is beyond me.

🌿 Take a breath. Don't look for your 'space to breathe'. Let it find you 🌿

🌿 I don't usually forget dates but especially I cannot forget dates which matter in my journey as a dance artist, like 0...
02/03/2025

🌿 I don't usually forget dates but especially I cannot forget dates which matter in my journey as a dance artist, like 01/03 and 02/03/2024.

🌻 Last year, I was honoured to perform and share my first dance theatre production 'Listen to the Forest' in front of fabulous audience members. Although the shows were a crucial milestone in the Forest growth, the 5 weeks of prep and rehearsals keep a special place in my heart and have taught me so much in terms of the artist I want to be and what I need to improve.
🌈 Looking back at one year ago helps me navigate new directions for the future of the Forest, which I want to be more sustainable, more eco-friendly, more spiritual and more capable of reaching a wider audience. I'll keep you posted on this, dear Forest friends 💚

🌱 But now, let me celebrate who made 01/03 and 02/03/ 2024 some unforgettable days for me:
Pirita Tuisku (choreographer, creative mentor and light designer)
Eloise Kretschmer (composer and musician)
Evie Waddell (BSL dance performer)
Gioia De Martino (production assistant)
(costume and set designer)
Catherine King (BSL interpreters)
(light technician)
(photographer and videographer)

⚘️ Thank you all, the Forest wouldn't have been the same without you all.

🌱 Mi sono innamorata dell'Amazzonia più di tre anni fa.Non l'ho previsto ma è successo.Non l'ho subito capito, anzi, mi ...
16/01/2025

🌱 Mi sono innamorata dell'Amazzonia più di tre anni fa.
Non l'ho previsto ma è successo.
Non l'ho subito capito, anzi, mi domandavo come questo amore potesse essere nato così, apparentemente dal nulla.
Non era un "dal nulla", piuttosto uno di quei colpi di fulmine che per me avrà sempre gli occho di una promessa fatta ad un'attivista brasiliana, madre di famiglia, incontrata (per caso?) a Glasgow durante la COP26.
Promisi che avrei trasformato il mio amore in qualcosa di tangibile per l'Amazzonia.
💚 È nato così "Listen to the Amazon".

⚘️ Poi, come tutti i grandi amori, il sentimento si è espanso ed è andato via via crescendo. Così mi sono accorta che il mio amore non includeva solo l'Amazzonia ma era un amore che andava oltre una singola foresta per abbracciarle tutte. Un amore per la Foresta (come mi piace chiamarla), che parla un'unica voce se ascolti bene.
E così i ritiri, "Listen to the Forest", i festival, il tour di workshop, la foresta inclusiva di Indepen-dance 🌳

🤗 Che si fa ora? Avevo bisogno di chiedere un consiglio su come procedere e ringrazio infinitamente il cuore dell'Amazzonia che mi ha accolta a braccia aperte.
Ho avuto il privilegio di conoscere colei da cui tutto è partito e mi basta.
Mi sono di nuovo innamorata e ci ho lasciato il cuore.
Ho fatto tanti sacrifici nel 2024 per la Foresta ma quando mi sono trovata lì, ho sentito che era valso tutto.
🌿 Si continua. Certi Amori si fortificano

PH: Barbara Costa

17/12/2024

🌳 You did not hear me talking as much about the Forest these days. But I want to reassure you that the voice of the Forest has not abandoned me.
I am looking for new, creative ways to keep building 'spaces to breathe' for us and the Forest. I have recently received many no's to my applications but I am not giving up.

🌱 I am very pleased to say that I have been planting new seeds of the Forest, sharing my Forest practice and research with the Creative Team of Indepen-dance.

This video was also showcased at the Winter Sharing. Many thanks to Indepen-dance and the Federation of Scottish Theatre to make this happen 🙏🏼

Many thanks to Dua Khiani Gioia De Martino Rekhtman for being a fantastic team helping me create this video. Your time and energy were inestimable resources 💚

11/10/2024

🌳 When we ran our 'Not Far from the Forest' workshops in August, Kretschmer surprised me with suggesting that we should also use our time together not only for the workshops but as creative time, an opportunity to just nourish our practice.

🌷 The idea for this video came from one of our creative time sessions. We thought of starting from the roots of our work, from our GROWING score and tried it different places. But we also just played with it and found new directions.

After all, I believe that this is what growing means to me: 🌿 feeling the pulse of Life inside you and letting it guide you. Being aware that the pulse is a shift of energy which sometimes you get and sometimes you lose🌿
Learning that your relationship with the pulse can always change was a hard lesson for me to learn but I do want to thank Eloise for supporting me with her music and Pirita for helping me taking this score out of me some time ago.

🦋 How about you? What does 'growing' mean to you?

Music by Eloise Kretschmer
Video editing by Dua Khiani
The video also includes moments from our Listen to the Forest which took place on 2nd March at Assembly Roxy with the participation of Evie Waddell and Pirita Tuisku , and was filmed by Hartley

25/09/2024

🤗 One month ago, we hosted our last Forest workshop in beautiful Studio Ilé Aché , the last stop of an inspiring and surprising journey.
One month later, I feel so proud of the hard work we did and all the creative ideas which came out of this process.
🦋 Somehow I am still processing the inspiration which came out of the Forest workshops. I feel our Forest will keep changing and transforming... into what? I am not sure yet.

🌈 Today I don't want to make plans yet. It's time to celebrate the journey we made during our workshop tour 🥳

🙏🏼 This video is my way to say 'thank you' to all of the people who made the Forest journey possible: both our Forest Friends who appear in the video and the ones who work behind-the-scenes and those who always support us despite physical distance. Thank you for being there for us. Keep trusting us. We need your support during these crazy times for the arts and for our Planet.
🌱 The Forest will keep growing with you.

In collaboration with Kretschmer Gioia De Martino Dua Khiani

Supported by Craignish Village Hall, Ardfern The Touring NetworkEdinburgh Deaf Festival Clashnettie Arts Centre Citymoves Dance Agency Scylla's Bite Ilé Aché

I feel there is still so much to say about our Forest workshops...🌻 One of the things I am most proud of is that our wor...
10/09/2024

I feel there is still so much to say about our Forest workshops...

🌻 One of the things I am most proud of is that our workshops have been *multidisciplinary*. Although many people called me 'crazy' when I explained what I wanted to do, I am happy that I have been determined enough to build up a space where different art-forms could come together and enhance each other in the name of the Forest.
🌳 The more I work with the Forest, the more I realise that the Forest is open to everybody and speaks all languages. No matter if it's Italian or English, BSL or German, the language of a well-educated adult or a of young kid, of a dancer or a musician, of a gardener or a cook. The Forest wants to listened and is inside of you all. Keep searching and asking.

🌈 I will also add that, since I have been focusing more on my dance training in the last 4 years, I feel so happy that I got the chance to write in a creative context again and guide our Forest friends to do the same. Here are some lovely writings and feedback we got.

🌿 Thank you, Forest friends. So grateful I met each and everyone of you.

21/08/2024

What an incredible experience it has been so far to move and feel the forest with you all! 🥹🌿

✨ We are so glad that we have another couple of workshops to go because we really don't want this experience to end... and we really don't want you to miss out! ✨

Join our 'Not Far From the Forest' workshop for a day of improvisation, dance, live music and creative writing. Get yourself down to Edinburgh or Glasgow this weekend:

🌟 Citymoves Dance Agency (Aberdeen) on the 23rd of August from 11.30am to 1.30pm

🌟 Scylla's Bite (Edinburgh) on the 24th of August from 11am to 5.30pm

🌟 Studio Ilé Aché (Glasgow) on the 25th of August from 11am to 5.30pm

Come and breathe with the Forest, we'll be waiting for you! 🌱

To book, please email Valeria Levi at [email protected] 💚

🙃 Feeling the fear of taking on an overly complicated task and doing it anyways.Moving nice, steady, consistenly to foll...
20/08/2024

🙃 Feeling the fear of taking on an overly complicated task and doing it anyways.
Moving nice, steady, consistenly to follow my dreams
(I know these are not only my dreams but the Forest's dream)
May the Forest message find more and more people
being aware that I'm a just a vessel of this.

🌿 Feels like
Cycling on a steep route many times
But how rewarding it is when I realise that
today I am taking a step further than
yesterday

⚘️Thank you, Forest, for getting me out of my comfort zone
Thank you, Forest, for putting amazing people in my way
And thank you (you= amazing people) for saying yes
Not to me but to the Forest:

Eloise Kretschmer
Edinburgh Deaf Festival
Clashnettie Arts Centre
⚘️

🌿🌿Two-day workshop at Craignish was such a blast 🌿🌿🌻 I am so proud that the Forest has started to expand its community a...
14/08/2024

🌿🌿Two-day workshop at Craignish was such a blast 🌿🌿

🌻 I am so proud that the Forest has started to expand its community and growing in new directions. I knew in my heart that the message of the Forest could speak to different people- no matter their age, background, ethnicity or abilities. But it was so beautiful to see some amazing adults and kids from Ardfern community coming together and being so sensitive to the Forest.
🌈 We explored the good and the bad of our relationship with the Forest and I thank everyone for their honesty on these two-day journey. We also ran a sharing of our work and well, it was an unbelievable experience to see the Forest on stage again with more Forest friends.

🌳But also thank you Eloise Kretschmer for coming with me and making the sound of the Forest special. So lucky that the Forest brought us on the same path!

🦋 Thank you Rachel from Craignish Village Hall, Ardfern for hosting us at and at your place, for offering your fabulous energy and trusting that we can do this together. When I searched potential partners for this workshop, I got so many emails rejected or unanswered. Thank you for saying yes!

🌱 Thank you for supporting us and making this happen The Touring Network. It is great to know that cteative activities and performances in rural Scotland can be supported and reach amazing human beings.

Now moving towards the end of the week with more Forest workshops! 🫶🏼

09/08/2024

💃 Would you like to dance, breathe and listen to the Forest but cannot make it next week? Would you wish to live an unforgettable experience this summer?

🌱 We are excited to announce that our Forest journey will continue on the weekend of 23rd, 24th and 25th August hosted by wonderful partners Citymoves Dance Agency Scylla's Bite Studio Ilé Aché

The Forest is coming to your doors. What are you gonna do? 😉

In collaboration with Eloise Kretschmer

Video edited by Dua Khiani

Address

Glasgow

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Listen to the Forest posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to Listen to the Forest:

Shortcuts

Featured

  • Mo's Trust

    Mo's Trust

    54/Queen Mary Avenue Govonhill Glasgow

Share

Category