Startup Starters: Sheree Lenting

Sheree Lenting interviewed by Lydia Wharf

Sheree Lenting’s Beyond Borders Lab has been selected for support by the Aerowaves Startup forum, and will take place in Spring 2024. Her proposal is to take the autobiographical solo work Nabinam, created and performed by Belgian artist Jean-Baptiste Baele, and use it as a catalyst for a weekend movement workshop that provides a deep dive into the intersecting themes of adoption, politics and culture, specifically for those with lived experiences of the theme.

When I speak to her in October 2023, Lenting is preparing fundraising applications to further support this programme, which she aims to deliver both in her home base of Rotterdam and in Oslo (Baele is based in Norway). A smart, articulate interviewee, it’s clear to see how the strands of Lenting’s evolving practice as producer, dance artist and self-proclaimed “artivist” weave themselves through her curatorial choice, providing a rich foundation for an interesting and meaningful exploration of the chosen themes.  As one of three young presenters taking forward project proposals emerging from the Startup Forum at Aerowaves’s Spring Forward festival in Dublin 2023, she is excited by the potential for discovery and revelation for the community who’ll participate in the Lab, allowing them to safely explore their experiences of adoption.  

Lenting explains that her approach to designing and delivering the Lab is informed particularly by the work she’s been developing in a relatively new role as Dance & Community Programmer with Theater Rotterdam, and she describes a refreshingly hands-on process, where the production of new work emerges directly from the communities it serves. A key part of her role is to go out and find real people’s stories, engaging directly with those who tell them, and bring them to life on stage. She tells me about how she looks for narratives in hidden corners, finding depth in the diversity of the queer or refugee communities, and she describes herself as a “bridge or connector between theatre, communities and makers” in this equation. The overarching goal is achieving what she calls “accessibility through empathy” – allowing autobiographical stories to surface safely and to be felt profoundly by those that watch. This type of theatrical experience successfully engages non-traditional theatre goers, and it draws heavily on the skills and understanding that she has honed over years as a practising artist and facilitator.

Lenting’s work for Theater Rotterdam certainly aligns with, or perhaps even inspires her interest in Baele’s solo Nabinam, which will be presented as the focus for the Lab. Lenting explains that she chose this solo because she felt it had such potential for sparking discovery – it was a topic that chimed with recent socio-political dialogue in her community and was presented by an artist who was minoritised by his race at Spring Forward, as was she. Lenting had already been involved in developing a project that touched on the rich seam of adoption politics; here was an opportunity to curate a space specifically for artists that have lived through similar experiences, bringing them together with workshops and specialist coaching to fuel creative exploration and personal/communal responses. Lenting talks about the requirement for safeguarding because, of course, these are highly personal topics, potentially touching upon formative and traumatic experiences. She describes her vision – generating a “healthy space” for what may be a very personal, emotional experience for participants. She will work with a psychologist present throughout, facilitating the process; it’s fascinating to consider what will emerge and how.

It’s clear that Lenting’s practices are shaped by her own unique perspective and identity. Having deep roots in hip hop culture means that she is particularly keen to share opportunity; she refers specifically to the philosophy of “each one teach one” and, although this is not an explicit or primary part of her proposal, it seems fair to assume that this will inform her choices. Whilst Lenting has taught in schools and companies extensively, the last few years’ work have been more tightly focused on the development of her own artmaking and curatorial practice, where she describes herself as an “Artivist”, facilitating storytelling that allows the minoritised voice to surface.

Lenting also references the influences of those who have enabled her to get to this point in her own development in the sector, particularly that of her own mentor, Lloyd Marengo. She tells me that it was the encouragement of her peers that had led her to the Startup Forum, rather than a personal drive to be involved with the programme. In fact, although individual artists presenting work as part of the festival had been, the Startup Forum programme itself had not been on her radar before she was nominated by Dansateliers Rotterdam, and she sought the advice of others before accepting.

The realisation of Lenting’s Beyond Borders Lab is still rather embryonic when we meet, but it’ll be interesting to see how the project will be supported in Rotterdam and Osolo – two very different contexts. Baele’s adoption by white parents, and the fact that his twin was not adopted, are factors that potentially unearth a sensitive and politicised dialogue around wider issues, and the complexity inherent in that must be held carefully in order to evolve generatively. Whilst I am left in no doubt as to Lenting’s understanding of what is needed here, and to deliver it with the consideration and sensitivity it deserves, it’s the rest of the world that will need to work hard to keep up with her.