A Good Thing is Never too Late

 
 

A Good Thing is Never too Late (Filipino proverb)

A Good Thing is Never too Late is a Research & Development project about belonging and a slippery sense of ‘home’. During their 2 week residency at Fabric Raquel Meseguer Zafe, Ania Varez and Tanuja Amarasuriya will explore themes of dual heritage, ancestry, decolonising practices and ghost stories to tend to the longing that comes with being from somewhere else.

The outcome of the residency may be the beginning of a show or an encounter: it may be biographical or fictionalised biography, it may be a dance work that resides in a theatre, it may use verbatim, it might be danced live, it might be recorded on film, and we may not always need to be present for it to be performed.

PARTICIPATION MOMENTS

In early 2026, there will be moments to engage with the themes and practices emerging in the work:

Inclusive contemporary dance open class: Birmingham Hippodrome

Tuesday 24th February 10am - 11.15am

This session will take participants through several scores Raquel & Ania develop during their residency. These scores will work with the voice, sound and movement to unlock different ways of moving. The session will also guide participants through creative writing exercises and improvisation exercises.

To note:

  • The session will involve some watching and learning from one another.

  • We will work gently with ancestry and lineage. We acknowledge this may not feel simple for everyone.

  • Beginners are welcome, but this may be more suitable for people with some experience of both movement and text / voice.

Inclusive contemporary dance open class: Online

Monday 2nd February 4 - 5.15pm

This session will make a virtue of dancing in our own homes and spaces and it intended for folk who find it difficult to attend in person classes.

This session will take participants through several scores Raquel & Ania develop during their residency. These scores will work with the voice, sound and movement to unlock different ways of moving. The session will also guide participants through creative writing exercises and improvisation exercises.

To note:

  • The session will involve some watching and learning from one another.

  • We will work gently with ancestry and lineage. We acknowledge this may not feel simple for everyone.

  • Beginners are welcome, but this may be more suitable for people with some experience of both movement and text / voice.

  • This session will be held over zoom.

Decolonising our practice: Online talk Wednesday 11th February 5-16.15am GMT

As part of the residency Raquel has invited artist and academic Lionel Popkin to share their approach and practice.

Lionel is a choreographer/performer/art-maker who creates kinetic scenarios, intertwining the cultural multiplicity between the imagery and iconography of the Indian subcontinent that surrounded his youth and his post-modern Western training. His mixed-race and malleable identity markers place him in a questionable position within the racial and social discourse created from the twin sins of genocide and slavery that formed the dominant power structures in America. His work questions how bodies, objects, and media are allowed to exist in time and space.

Since 2006 Lionel has taught at UCLA. Teaching allows for a continual questioning of any and all assumptions he has about performance. The students keep him on his toes.

In the spirit of collectivism, Raquel is opening up this online session to artist collectives and crip peer groups. Anyone interested in decolonising their practice is welcome to join Lionel and Raquel in conversation on Wednesday 11th February 9-10.15am GMT.

More info about Lionel Popkin: http://www.lionelpopkin.org

Supported by a Fabric Residency Programme. More info about Fabric and their current Residency Programme Call Out here.