The Unveiling Shadows Team

Unveiling Shadows is a personal look into how trauma and the pieces of our past shape who we are. It’s about facing old ghosts — even past versions of ourselves — to uncover lessons we didn’t know we were carrying. It’s a mental and emotional journey, digging through memories to make sense of where we’ve been and what we’ve learned along the way.

Honestly, it's a bit all over the place — it really depends on the setting or environment I'm in when I'm trying to draw inspiration. I usually go with my first instinct or idea, no matter how big or small, and then build around it or find things that connect to it. Layering is a big part of the process for me — it gives you the freedom to pull things apart or shift them as you go.

It was drawn from the word sonder, like every person has a complex life such as yours but dealing with it in their own way, and I was always fascinated how I came across so happy and cheerful when I was probably at my worst point in life so with my creative process I wanted to re address dark times that no one really kind of got about me and go on a self-healing journey myself with art and bring a version of the meaning of sonder.

This work explores the contemplation of suicide. It's more of the web of traumas that you face when it comes to those silent moments that get you to that point. So this more dabbles on the flashbacks that I've had, it reflects based on those silent times, because at the end of the day, it goes through the things that made me love a lot of things, to the loss of a lot of things, to where I am now, and finding that strength.

This is a piece that is dear to me, with the audience able to join in this space as my story of healing occurs right in front of them.

Audiences might be surprised to see me in my solo debut dance work — performing in a new way, with new forms. I'm still bringing the rawness I'm known for, but this time it's adapted to different kinds of movement. It's me doing what I know best, but also pushing a little further into new territory.

Designing for Unveiling Shadows has been very object-led. In story and literally in the functional elements of the design. The chairs were a really important story element, and we wanted them to carry a lot of the visual time for the work as well. The work is all about memory and self-examination, and we wanted to create a space that felt both familiar, like an old attic or your grandmother’s house, and expansive, so grandma’s attic floats in the void. A place that literally holds memory. We wanted it to feel like a very personal space for Josh, but also leave an openness for the audience to examine the themes of the work within themselves.

The core theme centres around uncovering and dusting off memories that have been left untouched for many years, in order to come to terms with their place in his past and his future. Chairs act as stand-ins for significant people and moments throughout Josh’s life, and their fractured and submerged states allude to the fact that the life experiences that have shaped him as a person extend far beyond the small window he grants to the audience.

The lighting for Unveiling Shadows is highly focused on taking the performance of one human and making it fill the stage. Heavy use of top and side lighting to paint a body onstage to take up space that could otherwise feel empty, given a single person performing for an entire show. Some of the more unique and specific elements are informed by a narrative and aesthetic direction, but the bread and butter of how the show is lit is to provide many perspectives and differing visual scenes for what could otherwise look quite consistent throughout the run of the show. 

I love creating with Josh. Not only are we creative partners, but we also have a genuine friendship, which makes the process feel very natural. We bounce off each other well creatively, as we come from a similar place in dance, we’re honest and trust one another, and my favourite part - we have a lot of fun along the way.

I bring all the strengths I’ve developed from working in the dance industry for over a decade. My background spans theatre, choreography, and freestyle, which gives me a unique perspective on storytelling through movement. I love to blend all of these together when bringing a creative vision to life.

I think audiences will feel inspired by Josh’s story and his physicality. I also hope the work sparks reflection, encouraging people to think about their own stories and what they might be ready to unveil.