What is Performance?

In this workshop, participants explore performance through a single, everyday object: the balloon. By tuning into its physical qualities - its stretch, fragility, and bounce - the group uncovers new possibilities in movement and storytelling. It asks: can an object choreograph us? What emerges when we stop trying to control and start responding? This session is open for all, no prior experience with performance is necessary.

New! A few drop-in spots are now open for Day 1 and Day 2 (July 16 & 17, 6–9 PM) - perfect if you're curious but not ready to commit to the full workshop. Come experience the process before you decide.

Participants will work both individually and in groups, using the balloon to create gestures, movement scores, and moments of connection. The workshop includes guided improvisations, collaborative tasks, and short viewings, all designed to open up playful, low-pressure ways of engaging with performance. It all leads to an informal showing, where participants share what emerged when they let the balloon take the lead.

Workshop Schedule:

16, 17, 18 July - 6 PM to 9 PM

19 July - Break

20 July - Workshop runs from 12 PM to 3 PM, with the sharing between 8 to 9 PM

What is Performance? is a long-running initiative by Gia Singh Arora and Somya Kautia, now in its fifth edition. Each edition focuses on a different material or provocation. Gia is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice blends movement, Indian classical dance, and performance art to explore poetics, resonance, and the body. Somya is a contemporary dancer and educator whose work draws from martial arts, improvisation, and choreography to explore embodied awareness and responsive movement. Together, they are actively involved in blending performance with interdisciplinary methodologies and this workshop, an offering made as a duo, continues to engage performers, students, and practitioners across disciplines.