adelheid - tender relay

(in development)

tender relay inhabits public space in a relational work that counters uncertain times - a tonic to climate (and other) grief, a meeting of bodies in motion in an experiment of togetherness that invites tenderness as a salve to uncertainty. Five dance artists engage in a real-time composition, navigating conditions of their co-existence and the unpredictability of the city and emerging circumstance. They listen through the moving body, resisting the western perception of spectacle by caring for action over appearance, drawing audiences into their evolving interrelations in a series of linking duets that travel along city streets mingling with urban reality.

tender relay considers inclusion not as an invitation but as a welcoming of co-existence. It is an opportunity to confront/connect/experience each other in unpredictable ways outside the safety of theatre-as-container.

Workshop sharing September 19, 2026 in the remnants of St. Anne's Church, Toronto which burned down June 2024.

Development supported by Lead Donor, The Lindy Green Family Foundation, along with the Bulmash-Siegel Foundation and Edward Krucker Foundation.

creative team:

Heidi Strauss • choreographer
in collaboration with dancers:
Katie Adams-Gossage
Aerin Cho
Kéïta Fournier-Pelletier
Lukas Malkowski

Jeremy Mimnagh • sound designer
Aliah Schwartz • creative producer

tender July 2025, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

research for tender relay

tender is a meeting of bodies in motion in an experiment of togetherness. It invites tenderness as a salve to uncertainty as five dancers grapple with circumstance and connection. Their movement is a tonic to climate (and other) grief in a responsive game of collective decision-making. They listen through the moving body, resisting the Western perception of spectacle, caring for action over appearance, and drawing audiences into their evolving interrelations as they voyage through the fairgrounds.

creative team:

Heidi Strauss • choreographer
in collaboration with dancers:
Katie Adams-Gossage
Aerin Cho
Kéïta Fournier-Pelletier
Rakeem Hardy
Lukas Malkowski

Ginelle Chagnon • outside eye
Jeremy Mimnagh • sound designer
Tavia Christina • Metcalf intern
Zuri Skeete • programming assistant

Created with the support of the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Metcalf Foundation, Edward A. Krucker Foundation, Bulmash-Siegel Foundation, and Lindy Green Family Foundation.

dates:
July 12 & 13, 1pm & 4pm 2025 TOAF Presentation at Nathan Phillips Square
2026 Archival film presentation as part of "DON'T LOOK BACK" curated by David Liss