Lake Studios Berlin

TO CRITTER
Angélica Roa / Lamultiverse

To Critter is an eco-sensual invitation to transcend the boundaries of the human self and connect with what lies beyond the skin. To be and become—with the soil, the trees, the water, the sun, and the more-than-human world that we never left. Drawing inspiration from TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge), To Critter is the result of a year of ecosomatic practices in Berlin’s forests and interactions with their More-than-human beings. With a dramaturgy inspired by the Indigenous poetry of Natalie Diaz and Ángela Mavisoy, To Critter asks about entanglement and biological interdependence not as a theory but as an embodied practice.

SUITE ON THE SAHARA
Kia S. Smith / South Chicago Dance Theatre

Suite On The Sahara, a new work conceived during SCDT’s January 2026 residency at LAKE Studios in Berlin, Germany. Scaffolded by the genius of artists from the Silk Road Ensemble, the piece weaves sounds from Argentina, Morocco, Spain, and Italy, immersing audiences in a landscape flowing with light, color, passion, and a range of movement vocabularies. For this work, Smith steps away from the cerebral work of narrative building to allow her first love, music, to be at the helm of the choreographic process.

TO CRITTER CREDITS

Performance, Choreography, Sculptures & Direction: Angélica Roa
Live Music on Gaita: Felipe Duarte
Light Design: Rob Prideaux
Soundscape and Music: Nikola Pieper
Sound Research: Angélica Roa, Hoiyan Guo and Nikola Pieper
Outside Eye: Natalia Higuita and Johhan Rosenberg
Stage Assistance: Kkotshin Im
Conceptual talks with Colombian Indigenous leaders: Mamo Manuel Dasa (Kogui People), Ángela Mavisoy (Kamëntsá People) and Juanito Oso (Yagé Shaman).
Mentors: Matthias Mohr (Dramaturgy), Isabelle Schad (Choreography), Katja Münker (Somatics) and Stefan Gota (Performance)
Tutor HZT: Nik Haffner

SUITE ON THE SAHARA CREDITS

Director/Choreographer: Kia S. Smith
Lighting Designer: David Goodman-Edberg
Costume Designer: Trey Alexander
Music: Gustavo Santaolalla, Elliot Goldenthal, Telemachus, Bryce Dessner, Marina Ortega Mira, Silk Road Ensemble, Caleb Arredondo
Artists: Tonei Silver, Trey Alexander, Mya Bryant, Brodie Wolf, Chloe Chandler, Jack Halbert, Katrina Hidalgo, Kelly Anderson