Befriending My Monster

“I have a little monster, 
Right inside my belly,
                                                She tickles me so quickly
                                                That I laugh and shake like jelly!
 
                                                She has a little house there,
                                                Number 33 Bellybutton Lane,
                                                The grass is made of sticky slime,
                                                And there’s even confetti for rain!”
 
There’s a monster in Luna’s belly, and it’s making her feel all sorts of things she doesn’t understand! Befriending My Monster invites children on a journey down belly button lane to explore those big feelings that they may not know how to talk about yet. In collaboration with playwright Grace Collender, dancer Mirela Romano and Somatic Trauma Therapist Patricia Bourke D’Souza, director and choreographer Selma Daniel explores the fields of universal emotions that all humans, no matter where or how we were raised, have in common. 
 
This work was funded by Arts Council of Ireland in partnership with First Fortnight Festival 2024, Solstice Arts Centre and Riverbank Arts Centre.

Credits:
devise; choreography & direction – Selma Daniel
script writer – Grace Collender
dancer & collaborator – Mirela Romano
light design – Sebastian Pizarro
set & costume design – Sabine Dargent
producer – Maria Schirley Figueiredo
psychotherapist, and supervisor somatic trauma therapist – Patricia Bourke D’Souza
video & photos – Luca Truffarelli

Funded by The Arts Council of Ireland

Supported by Solstice Arts Centre First Fortnight Festival Riverbank Arts Centre South Dublin City Branar Meitheal