Episode 36: Choreographer Léa Tirabasso on why questions are more important than answers

Léa Tirabasso is a choreographer and performer whose work is rooted in physicality, instinct, and a deep curiosity about what it means to be human. She was born in eastern France, and before training at London Contemporary Dance School, studied Modern Literature and History of Art in Lyon. It was here that she first became interested in the Fluxus movement and the idea of dissolving boundaries between art and life — something that continues to resonate through her work today.

As a performer, Léa danced with companies and choreographers across the UK, Luxembourg, Germany, and Chile — including Clod Ensemble, José Vidal, Seke Chimuntengwende, and Johannes Wieland. She was also a member of the TanzEnsemble at the Staatstheater Kassel between 2011 and 2013.

Since 2012, Léa has been creating her own choreographic work, which often explores humour, dysfunction, brutality, exhaustion, and the body as a site of instinct. Her practice is deeply research-driven. For example, for her work ‘The Ephemeral Life of an Octopus’, she collaborated with oncologists, gynaecologists, and geneticists, exploring the mystery of cells and the relationship between mind and body. She’s also worked closely with a philosophy lecturer from University College London, contributed to open conversations at the Wellcome Collection, and regularly speaks with medical students about her creative process.

Léa’s latest piece, ‘In the Bushes’, celebrates the incomprehensible and magnificent contradictions of life whilst mocking the idea of human exceptionalism. Quirky, exuberant and witty, it questions our humanity with ferocious joy. Premiered in Marseille last year, it’s about to be performed as part of the Luxembourg selection at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 13th - 25th August.

Ahead of this run, I couldn’t wait to talk to Léa about how her early studies in literature and art continue to shape her work, how philosophy and science have become collaborators in her creative process, and why playfulness, absurdity, and instinct matter now more than ever.