A Bitter Pill
A Bitter Pill is our latest work-in-progress, delving into the complex and contradictory feelings around hormonal contraception using emotive, surrealist dance theatre.
Commissioned by Back to the Bones Festival, we shared a 15-minute draft of the piece to 100 audience members in June 2026 in Stoke-on-Trent, and to 80 audience members at our Pelicanniversary 5-Year celebrations in Newcastle.
Images taken by Jenny Harper at Back to the Bones Festival.
Dancers: Ellie Bates & Cara Hogarth
Choreography by Pagan Hunt
Our next phase of R&D is supported by the Northumberland Dance Development Fund, with £3000 cash funding and in-kind rehearsal space, plus connections with venues in Alnwick, Hexham, Blyth, Cambois, and Berwick to deliver pilot dance & writing workshops.
Audience feedback from work-in-progress sharing
Brave and brilliant. Needs to be seen by many more.
Really emotional and thought-provoking, the way you blend fun movement with a serious theme works really well.
Engaging, reflective, remarkable.
It opened my eyes to the things young girls go through. I had no idea.
Audience feedback from previous full-length work
A visually stunning performance full of drama, humour, and surrealism
- NARC Magazine
A great combination of beautiful choreography performed with skill and heart, and funny and poignant theatre - the work created a strong connection with the audience. Fabulous!
This performance was fantastic. My eyes were glued the whole way through!
I loved how the language of dance was able to express the complexity of our relationships with climate change so well.
One of the most powerful pieces of theatre I’ve seen in a long time! It was an emotional rollercoaster - belly laughing to despair in a heartbeat but in a truly unique and mesmerising way!
Confirmed project partners:
