Thick & Tight – Natural Behaviour at Lowry

Outrageous, poetic and wildly imaginative, Thick & Tight return to Lowry this summer with Natural Behaviour – a new dance-theatre work that’s part biology lesson, part variety show, and completely their own. Direct from its premiere at Battersea Arts Centre, this heady and hilarious collection of short works lands in Salford for just two performances this June.

As Associate Artists at The Lowry, Thick & Tight – the boundary-pushing duo of El Perry and Daniel Hay-Gordon – have become known for their brilliantly subversive blend of movement, lip-sync, drag and character work. One of the UK’s most distinctive dance-theatre companies, their past productions have seen them take on everyone from Derek Jarman and Barbara Cartland to Princess Diana and Rasputin.

In Natural Behaviour, they continue their exploration of identity, otherness and transformation. This time, they turn their attention to the natural world, offering a series of vignettes that embody both human and non-human life forms. Expect moths, cockroaches, songbirds and strange hybrid creatures, brought to life through a mix of contemporary dance, mime and surreal cabaret.

Offering a queer look at what it means to be natural or unnatural, Natural Behaviour celebrates difference, in all its forms. The work invites us to rethink binaries – of gender, species, and behaviour – and to consider how rich the world is when we step beyond fixed definitions.

The show brings together a stellar cast of performers – including Annie Edwards (Candoco Dance), Luigi Nardone (BalletBoyz), Jahmarley Bachelor (Punchdrunk), Azara Meghie, and Corali Dance Company. The cast is supported by a bold design team featuring Tim Spooner and Nao Nagai. And, like all of Thick & Tight’s work, Natural Behaviour promises to be intellectually curious and visually arresting.

The company’s previous work has been hailed as “a true masterclass in dance and satire” (The Stage) with “arch wit and a finely honed sense of the ridiculous” (The Guardian). Following the award-winning success of Tits & Teeth (2024), Natural Behaviour confirms Thick & Tight as trailblazers in contemporary British performance – artists who entertain, provoke, and create space for new voices, bodies and ways of seeing the world.

If you’re looking for politically engaged or cross-genre performance, Natural Behaviour should absolutely be on your radar.