The Belly Connecting Us

Before it becomes movement, it is memory. Often, memory begins in the kitchen.

As part of  VASTA, choreographer and dancer Lina Gómez invites the audience to join her in preparing a recipe from her grandmother. While cooking together, stories are shared, memories resurface, and recipes become a way of connecting across generations.

Everyone takes part. Someone cuts, someone peels, someone washes. Together, we reflect on familiar rituals, the flavours that bring back memories, and the traditions we carry with us. The evening ends with a shared meal and an open conversation about what has changed, what remains, and what we choose to pass on.

This participatory gathering extends the themes of  VASTA, offering a space where food, memory, and exchange come together and reminding us that some of our deepest connections begin around the table.

Lina Gómez is a Colombian-born, Brazilian-raised choreographer, dancer, and teacher based in Berlin. Her work challenges our perception of time through persistence and repetition, interweaving diverse movement traditions with the energy that flows between music and body. Gómez studied Dance and Theater in São Paulo and completed a Master's in Choreography at HZT Berlin. Her most recent ensemble creations include "WIRRUNGEN – Sapatos Cegos" (2024), a performance for public spaces, "Antigone" (2025), in collaboration with Jörg Wesemüller at Staatstheater Braunschweig, "Vagarosas" (2023) and "Träumerei des Verschwindens" (2022), both presented at Radialsystem Berlin. Since 2015, she has been selected for residencies across continents, including the prestigious Villa Kamogawa Residency – Goethe-Institut in Kyoto. www.linapgomez.com