Mia Štark - Put your head on my shoulder - Working title

This artistic research explores how we respond to bodily reactions caused by psychological and emotional stress. Unlike visible injuries, states such as panic, anxiety, shock, or euphoria are intangible and often difficult to approach. Inspired by the structure of a first aid manual, the project studies its clear procedural language to develop a movement vocabulary for moments of emotional overwhelm. It asks whether we can imagine a manual for emotional and sensory crises. The research investigates how positioning and touch can help shift the nervous system from a sympathetic to a parasympathetic state. At its core, it reflects on tenderness, tactility, and communal care, proposing intentional, regulating forms of physical support that address invisible struggles and encourage embodied, non-judgmental care within a community.

Concept development Mia Štark Choreography and performance collaborator Dorota Michalak Dramaturgical support Lucija Klarić Music Ivona Eterović