Embodied pain, authenticity, and ethics in performance: reflections on tender steps

In Tender Steps, a dance-for-film exploring baby loss, I examine how lived experience shapes performance and meaning-making. Rooted in my own grief, the piece reflects how embodiment carries emotional and cultural weight. My body, having endured this loss, became the primary site of storytelling—where each gesture and stillness arose from personal memory. This authenticity, I argue, cannot be replicated by another performer, as it stems from the unique intersection of emotional, physical, and narrative truths.

However, this approach raises critical ethical questions. While lived experience can deepen resonance, it also risks re-traumatisation. The creative process was emotionally taxing, revealing the need for supportive frameworks when working with embodied trauma. Asking performers without direct experience to embody such pain can feel ethically fraught, potentially reducing complex realities to performance.

Through this presentation, I explore how we can support artists in navigating the demands of personal storytelling. Practices like building a compassionate team, incorporating therapeutic tools, and normalising vulnerability are essential. Tender Steps thus serves as both a personal case study and a broader inquiry into authenticity, ethics, and care in performance. How do we honour lived experience without harm, and what responsibilities do we carry as creators of embodied narratives?