The Game of Life & Rotten Work
Scottish Dance Theatre
About The Game of Life & Rotten Work
Scotland’s flagship contemporary dance company celebrates its 40th anniversary with a double bill by internationally acclaimed choreographers Emilie Leriche (US/Sweden) and Edouard Hue (Switzerland).
What does it mean to care for one another? In Rotten Work, Leriche explores the intimacy and difficulty of giving and receiving care: the discomfort of needing help, and the privilege of being able to (and being asked to) care for someone else. Taking its title from an Anne Carson (Winner of Nobel Prize for Literature, 2026) quote, the piece unfolds through moments of connection and quiet emotional depth. With slow-burning, poetic choreography, it reflects on our need to carry one another in a world where care is too often absent.
Inspired by three-dimensional puzzles and a virtual game of the same name, Hue’s The Game of Life explores how communities are assembled and disassembled. Bodies form geometric shapes, structures and societies. Beginning with shared movements and patterns, the dancers gradually make individual choices that will lead the group to a different end. Through organic, sensation-driven choreography, the work asks how we can come together as a living whole without losing our individuality.
Together, these works explore the fragile relationship between the individual and the collective: how we care for one another, make space for difference and find ways to move forward together.
There will be a post-show talk following the performance on Friday 23 October, facilitated by Dr Kirsty Alexander, who sits on the board of Scottish Dance Theatre. The post show talk will be BSL interpreted by Yasmin Jacobsen.
The show itself will be BSL interpreted by Olga Miceli.
Cast & Creatives
The Game of Life
Choreography: Edouard Hue
Music: Jonathan Soucase
Costume Design: Alison Brown
Lighting Design: Arnaud Viala
Rotten Work
Choreography: Emilie Leriche
Music: Wolff Bergen
Costume Design: Emilie Leriche
Lighting Design: Arnaud Viala
About Scottish Dance Theatre
Founded in 1986, Scottish Dance Theatre is an international repertory dance company based in the city of Dundee, in the Northeast coast of Scotland. The company’s artistic vision is driven by artistic exploration, learning and a desire to connect with others.
Led by Artistic Director Joan Clevillé since 2019, the company is one of the few full-time ensembles in the UK and is made up of a group of inquisitive and versatile dancers. Working at the forefront of the art form, Scottish Dance Theatre collaborates with internationally acclaimed choreographers and artists, supports the development of emerging and homegrown talent and promotes a plurality of voices.
For the past four decades, the company has brought unique dance experiences to audiences and communities across Scotland, the UK and abroad, presenting its work in a wide range of contexts: from remote village halls in the Scottish Highlands to opera houses in Asia. From art festivals in Europe to local schools, prisons and shopping centres. As well as performing, the company has an extensive engagement and participation programme both at home and on tour.
Scottish Dance Theatre has received multiple awards (including the UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Company Repertoire) and has built a strong international profile, performing extensively in venues and festivals across four continents and becoming Scotland’s flagship dance contemporary company.
