Katherina Radeva’s upcoming Edinburgh Fringe show, 40/40, celebrates the critically-acclaimed performer’s 40 years of being a woman, migrant and artist. Part of the Made in Scotland showcase at Dance Base, Radeva’s choreography and stories of the past, present and future combine with honest voiceovers and joyful tunes

Photography by Beth Chalmers

You’ve always danced and have just spent four years touring Europe as a performer. Why have you only recently started calling yourself a dancer?

Dance has always been a part of our work at Two Destination Language, and many of our projects are interdisciplinary. All of our work is dance theatre, really. With 40/40, what’s been really interesting is admitting that my body is changing. I really noticed it when I turned 40, so that is in the work. There are good and bad changes. I feel like I give less of a f**k about things now – but my body needs a hell of a lot more physical and mental prep before any tour. 

I wanted to investigate how our bodies change as we age, so I invited three dance artists over 40 to come and hang out with me and talk about it. I think as women, we can sometimes be afraid to do bold things because we worry about what people might think. I really wanted to push more buttons with the show and call it dance and they said: “Of course it’s dance!” In a way, they licensed me to own it. In the work I talk about permission quite a lot. Who gives us permission – and how do we give ourselves permission? 

What other joys has turning 40 brought you? 

There has definitely been some wising up. I’m 44 this year, and when I made 40/40, I’d just turned 40. I really just gifted myself a show for my birthday. The other thing that definitely brings me joy now is just being able to step back and go: ‘What’s important?’ I have a finite amount of energy. We’re definitely part of a system where we feel we need to be on the treadmill all the time, but if we’re going to survive in the long run, it’s about learning to take a break.

You migrated to the UK from Bulgaria in 1999, and now live in the Scottish Borders. How has that combined heritage shaped your sense of identity?

I’ve just made a new show called Another, and it’s all about this. I’ve now spent longer in the UK than in Bulgaria. But what’s now completely part and parcel of my identity is the politics around migration and how they have changed. When I first arrived in the UK, people were very interested and inquisitive. They were very curious about Bulgaria, and really open to those parts of the world. Now, I’ve stopped speaking Bulgarian on the streets. I feel the hostility a hell of a lot more.

Now, in a way, I feel I’m more Bulgarian than when I first arrived in the UK. My heritage is such a big part of me, and my work so often reflects on that. But now when I’m in Bulgaria, to everyone I’m a foreigner. So in a way, I’m a migrant in both places and that’s a new kind of identity – I think I’m only now beginning to understand what that really means. That maybe I’ll remain a migrant, regardless of how long I’ve been in any given place. 

What have you taken away from your experience of performing across Europe? 

So many things connect us, and that’s what the arts are so bloody brilliant at — creating experiences that start conversations. That’s why I do what I do. Shows will land differently depending on people’s cultural context, but ultimately I think people go to the theatre, dance, gigs — whatever it is — because they’re looking for a communal experience. They want to connect.

What stays with me most are the conversations I have with audiences afterwards. 40/40 is a very joyful, funny show, but I also go deep into some topics, and sometimes people cry. I try to be real and vulnerable as an artist, and I think that allows people to find the human in me. They come up afterwards and tell me their big stories, and I’m often thinking: ‘Oh my God, I’ve just heard this woman’s life story.’

What are the challenges facing artists at the Fringe?

I say this with the privilege of having funding from Made in Scotland for 40/40 – I bloody love the Fringe, but I also think it’s highly problematic. The price of accommodation in Edinburgh is a killer for artists and audiences, and we have to talk about it. We have to make ticket prices and accommodation accessible – otherwise, we are in danger of making this such an elite sport that we will affect how diverse – or non-diverse – our sector continues to be. 

What are your go-to city hideaways throughout the Fringe?

Aside from chilling out at Dance Base, I love Zoo Southside. For buzz, I’d have a drink at Summerhall. I also love heading down to Leith to a really nice coffee place, like Roast, for a slightly slower pace and less of the craziness of the festival.

See 40/40 at Dance Base from 18th – 23rd August at 14:30