A woman with dark hair, white earings, white and red dress and red beaded neckless kneels holding a bunched uprooted beetroot in the garden.

A close-up of a pair of soiled hands, stained red from a cut beetroot, preciously and gingerly cradling a vibrant red piece of sliced beetroot.

A dark-haired, dark-eyed, dark-skinned woman kneels, dressed in traditional embroidered Ukrainian clothing and coral necklace, embedded in a lush, vibrant, green garden. She looks peaceful, yet resolute.

i am root

Theatre and Physical Theatre • Spoken word

South Australia • Adelaide Fringe Premiere

Most of us are transplants. Uprooted from one country and resettled, making home in another's. Do you remember where you came from? What happens when culture, language and ancestry are left behind? A lot of lumber, but few roots. What now?

Seed. Water. Root. Grow. Harvest. Eat. Die. Decompose. Repeat.

Told from the perspective of a Ukrainian Canadian living in the Adelaide Hills, this ritual performance piece wonders into how one might question, create and nourish culture in a globalized, colonized world. Olenka enlists her mother tongue (Ukrainian) and the mediums of song, dance, folk traditions and recipes, story, poetry and prayer to enliven the depths of the unspoken, mysterious places where spirit lives...if we're willing to cultivate it.

We are future roots.

Additional Information Publication

Presented by: Bamboozled Productions

Bamboozled Productions are experts in delivering award-winning festival programs, world-class performances and boutique circus tents.

The Bamboozled team have a wealth of experience as festival programmers, producers, event managers, performers and venue designers, builders & managers. Born out of a meeting of minds between internationally renowned, Adelaide based performers Nigel Martin and Louise Clarke who have been successfully touring Australia and the globe for over 25 years. The pair have appeared at numerous festivals and events including Glastonbury Music Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the 2012 London Olympics, Kim Tom Clown Festival (China), Tour Down Under, Melbourne Commonwealth Games as well as numerous corporate events.

Reviews & Fringefeed Reacts

Her voice is amazing and the opportunity to hear her sing, pray in Ukrainian and recite poetry was a specific highlight of the show. - Simon Lancione, Glam Adelaide
We come away wiser about Ukraine and about the dilemmas a proud and old culture presents in a strange land. - Tim Lloyd, The Advertiser
The work is a funny and fiery melting pot, blending traditional folk tunes, spoken word, modern dance & North American observational comedy - James Murphy, All About Entertainment