Bounce Festival 2025 presents: Tales from the Mother

Content warning: Some reference to child loss

Tales from the Mother is a conversation through dance between two women. The work is the result of a new commission by two of Northern Ireland’s most respected disabled dancers, Linda Fearon and Helen Hall.

The pair first met as dancers, but soon discovered their lives intersected in a deeper, more personal way—through motherhood. Over time, they talked, they shared stories, they listened. A quiet understanding grew between them—a witnessing of each other’s joys, struggles, and sorrows.

Composer Isaac Gibson has developed bespoke sound design to accompany the work, inviting audiences into the intimate dialogue between mothers. This dance performance blends contemporary movement with personal narrative. It invites the audience to come close, to listen, to bear witness to these stories and the emotions they carry.

This piece is in development and the approximate running time will be 45 minutes.

This performance is funded through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Commissioning Programme supported by National Lottery Funding.

This event is part of Bounce Festival 2025, Northern Ireland’s showcase of disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent artistic talent. Run by University of Atypical, Bounce 2025 is taking place in Belfast and Derry~Londonderry over 4 dynamic days, from 2 to 5 October. Click here for more details about the Festival and to check out the rest of the programme.