Friday
Performance intensives
Workshops by day, theatre show by night at The Y Theatre.
Gothic bellydance festival · Leicester · 2027
Enter the dark. Gothla UK 2027.
Three days of gothic and dark fusion bellydance in Leicester: immersive workshops, a Friday theatre show, a Saturday open stage, and a weekend shaped by movement, atmosphere, and strong performance work.
Festival overview
Workshops, theatre, and an open stage that runs late into the night.
The 2027 programme brings together Ælisa, Fuchsia, Morgana, and Trium Parcae for a weekend that moves from rigorous technique to atmosphere, theatricality, and performance.
Saturday
Parallel pathways
Dark fusion technique, theatrical choreography, and open stage showbacks.
Sunday
Refine the craft
A cinematic video project, grounding yoga, flamenco fusion, and mindful movement.
Why Gothla
A home for the unconventional, the theatrical, the alternative, and the gloriously nocturnal.
Dark fusion with a strong aesthetic
Gothla has built its reputation on workshops and shows that genuinely embrace gothic, dark, theatrical, and alternative aesthetics.
Technique with atmosphere
Expect classes that care as much about presence, character, and texture as they do about clean movement, musicality, and stagecraft.
Minions!
Our legendary show hosts, who weave a story in every show. Armed with their trademark laziness and incompetence, and a little dynamite, no task is too large or small to mess up.
Artists & workshops
Four artists. Twelve workshops. A weekend of dark fusion, theatre, and transformation.
Ælisa Bio
Dreams, tarot, and ritual
Explore sleep paralysis and folklore in Alptraum, bring tarot archetypes to life in Living Arcana, and reconnect through Dark Mass yoga.
Fuchsia Bio
Melodrama and mindful movement
Emo romance meets English country dancing in Cemetery Drive, followed on Sunday by a gentle exploration of mindfulness and embodied movement.
Morgana Bio
Pirates, sea creatures, and secret societies
Join the Pirates’ Tavern showback, explore expressive arm technique with Kraken, and create an atmospheric Umbrella Society video project.
Trium Parcae Bio
The visceral side of dark fusion
Enter the Nest brings uncompromising performance energy. Develop technique and choreography in Sublime Exutoire, then explore the atmosphere of Mulholland Drive.
Timetable
The weekend at a glance - with workshop details.
Click the + icons for full details
Times are local to Leicester (BST). Room assignments to be announced. Tickets are currently off sale.
10:00–13:00 · WorkshopTrium Parcae: Enter the Nest (Performance Intensive)Intermediate+
This workshop is for those who want to explore the most intense, aggressive, and uncompromising side of Dark Fusion.
By immersing ourselves in a masterpiece from Trium Parcae’s repertoire, gentleness will be set aside in favor of a sharp, tension-filled dance.
NOTE: Please purchase a Performer's ticket!
Trium Parcae: Enter the Nest (Performance Intensive): £60 — view on Tito
14:00–17:00 · WorkshopElisa: Alptraum (Performance Intensive)Intermediate
Have you ever found yourself trapped in the space between waking and dreaming? You are conscious, yet entirely unable to move as an unseen weight rests upon your chest?
This Performance Intensive explores the haunting folklore of the „Nachtmahr“ (The Mare), which is the ancient myth behind our modern nightmare, deeply intertwined with the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. Long before science named the condition, tales were spun of a dark entity sitting upon sleepers, weaving breathlessness, hallucinations, and physical constriction into the night.
Through the mesmerizing, precise lens of Fusion Bellydance blended with Contemporary Movement, we will translate these atmospheric and psychological states into a gripping performance piece.
Comfort with basic bellydance isolations and floorwork is recommended.
NOTE: Please purchase a Performer's ticket!
Evening · The Y Theatre
The Friday Theatre Show
£25 early bird · £30 standard · £10 performers’ ticket
2027 timings and running order to be announced.
Evening event10:00–12:00 · WorkshopTrium Parcae: Sublime Exutoire - Part 1 - Technique Only (No Showback)Open level
Part 1: Technique
An in-depth exploration of theatricality and the quality of movement in Dark Fusion. Let’s work on technique to enrich the vocabulary of Dark Fusion, playing with variations in texture, range and intention to give your dance new power.
The £40 technique-only ticket covers Part 1 and does not include a showback. For choreography, staging and the showback opportunity, book the combined £75 Parts 1 & 2 ticket. Part 1 is required for Part 2.
Trium Parcae: Sublime Exutoire - Part 1 - Technique Only (No Showback): £40 — view on Tito
Trium Parcae: Sublime Exutoire - Parts 1 & 2 - Choreo & Staging for Showback: £75 — view on Tito
10:00–12:00 · WorkshopMorgana: Pirates’ Tavern (Open Stage Showback)Open level
Learn a fun, theatrical group choreography inspired by pirate inns, medieval taverns and the lively spirit of old western saloons.
Expect playful interactions, character work, rhythmic footwork and plenty of opportunities to bring your own personality to the dance.
This choreography will be performed during the Saturday Showback, so come ready to dance, act and have fun together.
Note: Open Stage Ticket NOT included.
13:00–15:00 · WorkshopElisa: Living Arcana - Tarot In MotionOpen level
Merging haunting stillness, uncanny poses, and stylized movement phrases, we will bring iconic archetypes to terrifying and beautiful life. Through guided improvisation and collaborative scene work, you will embody the multi layered energy of the cards, taking on roles as the physical Frame, the Awakeners bringing the image to life, or the Awakened archetypes bursting forth into movement. Open to anyone ready to embrace the dramatic and the uncanny.
13:00–15:00 · WorkshopFuchsia: Cemetery Drive (Open Stage Showback)Open level
A love lost… A dance performed…. And a connection that cannot be denied!
This theatrical dance will blend (melo)drama, storytelling and fun formations as we dive into My Chemical Romance’s Cemetery Drive and explore the forbidden love, flirtation and loss that every great gothic romance needs!
If you’ve ever wanted to be an emo Elizabeth Bennet in a blood splattered dress– then this workshop is for you!
Note: Open Stage ticket NOT included.
15:30–17:30 · WorkshopTrium Parcae: Sublime Exutoire - Part 2 - Choreo & Staging for ShowbackOpen level
By learning an original combo, we’ll blend the energy, grounding and interpretation to create a piece that is both dark and powerful and that you may present at the showback.
Note: Open Stage ticket NOT included.
The £40 technique-only ticket covers Part 1 and does not include a showback. For choreography, staging and the showback opportunity, book the combined £75 Parts 1 & 2 ticket. Part 1 is required for Part 2.
Trium Parcae: Sublime Exutoire - Parts 1 & 2 - Choreo & Staging for Showback: £75 — view on Tito
15:30–17:30 · WorkshopMorgana: Kraken - Tentacles of the Deep (Technique)Open level
In this technique workshop we'll explore fluid arm pathways, spirals, waves and extensions, learning how to integrate them naturally into turns, travelling steps and combinations. We'll also create duos and group formations that evoke the movement of a giant sea creature emerging from the depths.
Perfect for dancers who want to enrich their vocabulary with expressive upper body movement while developing beautiful stage pictures.
Evening · 2Funky Lounge
Open Stage
£10 admission. Showback workshop tickets do not include Open Stage admission.
Performer applications open 19 April and close 2 May 2027.
View the performer timeline and deadlines
Evening timings to be announced.
Evening event10:00–14:00 · Outdoors, weather permittingMorgana: The Umbrella Society (Video Project - 4 Hours)Intermediate
Some secrets are hidden in plain sight...
The Umbrella Society is a clandestine coven of witches who move unnoticed among ordinary people. Their only symbol of recognition is a simple black umbrella.
Join this cinematic choreography project as we create a mysterious video filled with elegant formations, ritual-inspired movement and a touch of dark magic.
Besides looking wonderfully atmospheric, our umbrellas will also keep us protected from the summer sun—or an unexpected British shower.
11:30–13:30 · WorkshopElisa: Dark Mass - Yoga in the DarkOpen level
In Tantric philosophy, darkness is the fertile, primordial space from which all creation emerges. This slow, heavy, and intensely grounding practice invites you to feel the true weight of your body and anchor back to the earth through deep movements and long holds.
Guided only by the faint, flickering glow of candles—like a secret Dark Mass—the space becomes a quiet, mysterious sanctuary to turn completely inward.
Carried by heavy, dark music, you are invited to surrender to the sound and find peace in the shadows.
Land on your mat. Root down. Reconnect.
14:30–16:30 · WorkshopTrium Parcae: Mulholland Drive (Flamenco Fusion Choreo)Open level
Come and immerse yourself in the silence and explore the mysterious atmosphere of David Lynch.
14:30–16:30 · WorkshopFuchsia: Mindful MovementOpen level
Come join me in this gentle workshop where we go through some mindful exercises (good for life and dance) and then start to apply them to our dancing in practical ways.
We’ll breathe, we’ll move, we’ll be present and let our bodies take the lead. We’ll also break down how to actively embody our movement.
This gentle practise and mindset can transform your dance and how you train.
Small things can make big ripples!
Fuchsia is a qualified meditation practitioner and has taught monthly mindfulness sessions to both dancers and non-dancers.
Venues
Three Leicester spaces, each with its own mood.
International Arts Centre
Garden Street, Leicester, LE1 3UA
The daytime hub for workshops across all three days.
Open mapThe Y Theatre
7 East Street, Leicester, LE1 6EY
Friday night theatre show with a little more velvet-curtain drama.
Open map2Funky Lounge
1st Floor, 23 New Park Street, Leicester
Saturday’s open stage and after-dark gathering point.
Open mapPractical details
Useful information before the weekend begins.
Tickets
Weekend planning is easiest through the live Tito listing, which includes current availability and ticket combinations. Tickets are currently off sale. Performance intensive workshop prices do not include a show ticket. This means you can book both performance intensives without paying for a show ticket twice. Please buy one separate £10 performers’ show ticket, whether you attend one or both intensives. Open Stage admission is £10 and is not included in showback workshops.
View tickets on TitoRefunds
Refunds are offered if Gothla UK cancels, moves, or reschedules an event. Change-of-mind and third-party purchases are not covered.
Contact
Questions, accessibility needs, or festival admin queries can go straight to the Gothla UK team.
admin@gothla.co.uk