Hold Me Gently

Hold me gently – I trust you. You can throw me, catch me, and I’ll try to catch you too. To dive into the unknown with you.

This production joined the repertoire through the 2026/2027 open call and is a co-production by Tartu Uus Teater and Orbit Dance Collective.

The contemporary dance production “Hold Me Gently” is about trust and its physical expressions. In its abstract movement language, everyone can find something familiar in themes that are universal and relatable. The dancers explore how to accept another person as they are, how to trust another with your body and be trustworthy yourself, finding joy and room for play in sharing.

Ten dancers take the stage, bringing their differences with them to play. Different experiences of life and dance meet, creating new stories and endless playfulness and possibilities in front of the audience. What is seen on stage is inspired by the cast appearing before the audience. Every performance differs from the ones before and after it: a new story takes shape on stage each evening, never to be repeated. But the idea remains: caring for and trusting one another.

*Choreographer and director Maarja Eliisabet Roosalu has a dynamic style that foregrounds dance as a physical art form. In addition to directing, Roosalu teaches dancers of different ages across Estonia, and shorter works from her repertoire have appeared at all of Estonia’s major dance festivals and competitions. Roosalu has extensive experience as a dancer in various productions and has shared the stage with various Estonian artists, including nublu and SADU.

“Hold Me Gently” is the second production by Orbit Dance Collective, founded in 2023, though the company has not performed in Tartu before. The collective’s debut production, “Compositions,” was staged in Tallinn in autumn 2023. And now it’s time to tell new stories.

Director and choreographer: Maarja Eliisabet Roosalu
Sound design: Israel Bañuelos
Dancers: Anastassia Meri, Kai-Riin Tomera, Karoline Suhhov, Katrin Tani, Lotta Laureen Loo, Mari-Liis Martin, Maria Schotter, Marta Jamsja, Melani Mõtlik, Saara Lotta Krusell

Co-production: Tartu Uus Teater
Supporters: Tartu city, Eesti Kultuurkapital

Premiere: 11 December 2026
Duration: 50 minutes
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