A lullaby is a gentle form through which difficult things can be expressed, a loving gesture that helps us embrace what is dark or unknown. In the solo performance Lullabye, Anneleen Keppens dances, embodies and sings lullabies about the ambivalence of motherhood and other care practices.

The movement in Lullabye emerges from a body in service. This body fluctuates between carrying and resting, rocking and falling, singing and growling. Strength and vulnerability are so tightly intertwined that they become impossible to distinguish.

Through a scenography that unfolds as a space of rest and support, Lullabye imagines a social fabric in which those who carry in our society are themselves carried. The performance explores the impact of care on a life, while at the same time softening, comforting and connecting.

“The lullaby (along with the singing voice that shares it) returns us to our capacity for self-affection and -preservation, and to the loving, hopeful posture of meeting and being met, holding and being held by the different others with whom we are in relation.” — Rebekah Pryor

After the performance, Anneleen invites everyone who ‘cares’ — for a child, a parent, a partner, or someone in need — to join Sea of Hands, a participatory ritual that aims to foster connection, recognition, and support.