In April 1815, the volcano Mount Tambora, located on an Indonesian archipelago, erupted. Eruptions were so violent that the upper third of the enormous mountain vanished overnight. Volcanic ashes darkened large parts of the sun for over a year, and there was a rumour going round that the sun was dying. In her new creation for the Dance Theatre Heidelberg (DTH), Javanese-Anglo-Australian choreographer Melanie Lane reflects on fears and mythologies surrounding the extinction of the human race.

Bone Smoke is a poetic thriller. Ten dancers try to propose a conciliatory instead of an inevitable end, discovering the beauty of decay and dreaming beyond the body’s borders. Accompanied by a new composition of the Spanish cellist Yamila Rios, the play creates a world where utopias and dystopias meet.