As I Am Naturally examines identity, belonging and memory through Cape Verdean dance forms at The Lowry

On Fri 26 and Sat 27 Sep, Tania Camara’s poignant, absorbing new production As I Am Naturally blends dance, spoken word and live music to bring a unique meditation on identity, belonging and self-realisation to The Lowry.

Commissioned and supported as part of The Lowry’s in-house artist programme ‘Developed With’, the viscerally affecting show charts Camara’s own journey of reclamation and personal growth, emerging from the trauma of familial abuse through profound spoken passages delivered amidst the sounds and movements of the traditional dance form, Batuku, transporting audiences from the concrete vistas of Salford Quays to the lush, craggy landscapes of Cape Verde.

Performed for the first time, As I Am Naturally reimagines the body as a displaced physical form; a cloak concealing an inner tapestry of deeply embedded memories and stories which burst forth through liberated voice and movement.

The river calls to me, calls me to this place. To wash, to give, to surrender. The river flow washed away what had become of me and then I stomped the violence. I opened my hip, and my torso became loose, unhinged. My voice became free, I broke the silence and my voice echoed. My cry became a song, my stomp the rhythm; I became me… As I am Naturally.

Book tickets below.

Tania Camara is a solo performance artist based in Manchester. Her previous work, Oreo, explored the linguistics of microaggression and black disempowerment, and their effect on mental health within private and public personas for successfully educated black women in Western society.