Grace Gibson

Offstage a cassette is taken out of its box and put into the player. The music crackles and she bounds on to stage. She notices the woman who resembles a Bichon Frisé and the sign above the audience telling her to smile. With hairspray in her saliva, she dances on an uneven herringboned floor. The air is wet, her hair drips. She is drowning in a moment.

Inspired by a moment of failure, How to Drown a Fish is a playful solo performance that dissects the point when it all goes wrong. Unpacking personal experiences involving children’s dance competitions, public embarrassment and mistakes, this piece examines the relationship between the one who fell and those who watched her fall.