Hold Me Gently

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

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

The contemporary dance production “Hold Me Gently” explores trust and its physical expressions. In its abstract movement language, everyone can find something familiar in themes that are universal and widely shared. The dancers explore how to accept another person as they are, how to entrust your body to someone else 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 life and dance experiences come together, creating new stories and endless playfulness and possibilities before the audience. What unfolds on stage is inspired by the cast performing that day. Each performance differs from the one before and the one after: a new story takes shape on stage each evening, never to be repeated. But the idea remains: caring for one another and trust.

* Choreographer and director Maarja Eliisabet Roosalu has a dynamic style that highlights dance as a physical art form. In addition to directing, Roosalu teaches dancers of different ages throughout Estonia, and her shorter works 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 a range of Estonian artists, including nublu and SADU.

“Hold Me Gently” is the second production by Orbit Dance Collective, founded in 2023, but the company has not previously performed in Tartu. The collective’s debut production, “Kompositsioonid”, was staged in Tallinn in autumn 2023. 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
Supported by: City of Tartu, Eesti Kultuurkapital
Premiere: 11 December 2026
Duration: 50 minutes

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