REVIEW: Maiden | Mother | Whore, Theiya Arts, EdFringe 2026 ★★★★

Rage, pain, demand, laid out raw. 

This interdisciplinary performance blends a range of dance styles to tell the overarching story of womanhood. We enter the space to find each seat prepared with a unique extract of feminist literature. We are then invited onto stage to select a postcard, write our response on the back, and hang it in large frames that make up the backdrop on the stage. After taking our seats once more, we were gifted with several movements of  South Asian classical-contemporary dance exploring the theme of womanhood. The live music, played and sung by a single musician, and the dancing from an ensemble of five was simply gorgeous. 

From the pressures faced by little girls to the highs and lows of motherhood, Maiden | Mother | Whore is both expansive and abstract enough to encompass and reflect the experience of each woman in the audience without excluding a single one. The intricacies of the female experience have been questioned, explored and reflected time and time again, and yet this piece does a commendable job in sparking up the conversation in a fresh light, with the wider cultural influences and the light audience interaction casting a slightly wider lens than a lot of shows that strive for the same goal. 

The lone musician was seated in the corner. She switched between an array of instruments, many unfamiliar to a fringe audience, reflecting the South Asian roots that underpin the piece. The music was faultlessly breathtaking, highlighting and emphasising the dancing, rising and falling with the movements taking place on stage, creating an intensely emotive and immersive experience – you could not look away. 

The dancing element flowed between sharp, synchronised choreography and more improvised and devised moments, leaving sharp impressions and asking silent questions through the movements. It was mesmerising to see the blend of cultures and images that made up the work – the performers moving from a collective to a character to a concept, building up the story of femininity layer by layer. Some of the transitions struck me as slightly underdeveloped – with the performers seeming to be looking at the stage and each other to confirm where they were next standing. This may have been intentional, but didn’t read as so. 

The choice to get the audience to write on the postcards at the beginning of the piece was interesting. It was an effective way to get us thinking along themes that the piece would explore with us. A few of the postcards were chosen to be read out throughout the performance – adding significantly to the purpose of the dances and really reflecting who was in the room. However, with there being many postcards hung up and only a couple read out, it felt slightly judgemental, like some of the audience’s thoughts were more relevant and valid than others. 

The lighting is used to shape and distort the space – creating boxes, cages, boundaries to be crossed and obeyed. It’s simple and stark, but effectively creates dynamics and challenges for the performers to dance around, almost becoming a revolving, shifting set throughout the show. 

Overall, this piece of work is a beautifully heart-wrenching reflection of the female experience, with the dancing and music working together to tell this age-old story through a new cultural lens. The invitation for the audience to add their creative response was an interesting pre-show moment, but the integration of this moment within the performance itself didn’t meet its potential. 

Intense and stark with the images and stories told, Maiden | Mother | Whore leaves you feeling simultaneously breathless and refreshed. 

Recommended Drink: A chai tea, warm and spiced. 

You can catch Maiden | Mother | Whore at DB1 at Assembly @ Dance Base from 18-30 August (Not 24, 25) at 17:30 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.