Originally commissioned as an exclusive live performance for the 20th anniversary of the Edinburgh Art Festival, the staged version of through warm temperatures by Mele Broomes running at Dance Base, as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase, until 24 August at 1.15pm.
After seven years since performing in Total Theatre award-winning work VOID at Summerhall, award-winning multidisciplinary artist Mele Broomes returns to performing in her own work at Edinburgh Fringe.
Drawing on Mele’s lived experience, through warm temperatures affirms castor oil’s legacy as a natural remedy, an elixir, and a historic source that transcends boundaries.
The performance takes the audience on a journey of reconnection — with nature and the body. Blending vocals and dance, the work shifts from meditative to unfiltered expression. Roars and vocal purges confront inner turmoil, embodying a journey toward self-acceptance.
We sat down with Mele to find out more about the work.
Q: Please can you tell us a little bit about yourself, your practice and through warm temperatures, that you’re presenting at Assembly@Dance Base as part of the Made in Scotland this Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
A: I am a dance practitioner, who is evolving into the vocal music realm. I am excited about the possibilities and potentials of this; learning, evolving and discovering things in my voice that invokes my movement, contributing and supporting the making of choreography.
through warm temperatures is a journey of connecting with self, and connecting with nature. I’m focusing on castor oil because of the amazing properties it has and what it has contributed to my life in regards to relieving joint pain, pain from fibroids, helping my eyesight and contributing to good skin and nails.
The show is a reminder that those old medicines and natural home remedies can serve us. I want to remind people that there are natural resources that can benefit your health and well-being, and for people to seek them out and be curious about things that came before us.
The work goes on a meditative journey that is contemplative and reflective. It’s also a grapple with trying to find peace with self, body image, how I see myself and how people can see themselves in negative ways.
Castor oil has helped me to see myself in a better light; to trust that there are ways and opportunities and routes of repair for pain, for heavy situations.
This whole process and performance has landed following my experience in creating and organising artist development initiatives where I have been in the role of creative producer, mentor advocate, and strategist; collaboratively creating organisations for black and POC artists based in Scotland.
In this role, I’ve learned from those sharing work, as they are also mentoring me. Through these journeys, I’m learning and discovering different ways of working and new things to consider.
My imagination is stretched through those relationships; learning about people’s creative drives, practices and techniques. This is why I have a multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary performance-making practice.
Q: Who have you collaborated with to create the work, who is involved in the performance, and do you have a longstanding collaboration with the team?
A: I have a long-standing relationship with most of the team.
Kimberly Mandindo is the most recent collaborator, having mentored Marios and MC over the years by supporting their solo practice and R&D theatre production.
KJ is a long-term friend and collaborator, and we share a background in contemporary dance which is rare among my current collaborators. We’ve finally found a space to work together, and their patience, energy, and shared excitement for the work make their presence invaluable.
I’ve known Salma, who is performing the integrated BSL, for about 15 years. Salma brings a generosity and openness to interpreting work without a fixed script. I previously supported her during the Rosina Bonsu bursary programme – an opportunity set up by Project X and The Work Room in honour of performer Rosina, of which Salma was recipient.
Simone is the co-composer and live musician on stage, with whom I’ve been working more intensively with in recent years. This has deepened my improvisational practice and vocal confidence, blending our approaches to create scores and compositions that remain alive and responsive in the moment.
The project as a whole continues my interest in relaxed performances; something I first explored at Battersea Arts Centre. These performances allow audiences freedom to move, take breaks, make sounds, or respond vocally without the constraints of traditional theatre etiquette. By giving this agency, the space becomes more welcoming and accessible, enabling people to engage with the work on their own terms.
Across all these collaborations—past and present—there is a shared generosity, care, and willingness to explore, which makes this team and process feel both grounded and alive.
Q: How does it feel to take your work to the festival, after a 7 years hiatus of performing in your own work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
A: I’m excited to present through warm temperatures because I feel like this work feels more like my voice. It feels like I am on a journey with my community and we’re presenting great work. I feel like this is ours and I have more agency to tell my stories and interpret them creatively.
I’m excited to perform at Dance Base, as the venue holds the space for what we’re doing. The production team has been really cool, all collaborating and trying to arrive together to realise this idea, to realise this work.
There’s a lot in the pipeline for the future too so watch this space…
Q: Why is it important to have festivals and platforms like Made in Scotland in the current climate – a showcase spotlighting Scottish based artists and dancers?
A: Festivals are opportunities that allow you to meet and connect with audiences from different parts of the world; sharing experiences and differences. They are spaces that allow you to gain global insight and understanding, and it’s very exciting to expand your perspective and mind.
By spotlighting Scotland-based artists like me, opportunities and potentials are opened up. It’s important that people from around the world see that we are a Black Scottish performance team making work in Scotland. There is a diasporic voice and community here, and we love to make and present work.
Q: What do you hope for yourself to experience by presenting this work, this year?
A: There is an overall hope, dream and aspiration that this is perhaps a stepping stone to touring but, as time goes on, I’m okay with what arrives.
I used to be very, very keen on touring. I’d think ‘I’ve done a show, I should do another one’ but there was never really a reason for why I thought that.
Now, I feel more clear that I would love to present work in different places to be able to showcase all the work that myself and my collaborators make, to open opportunities for all and connect with like-minded people, share a reflective space and the wisdom of castor oil.
Q: What do you hope for the performers involved to get out of presenting work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
A: I hope that they gain experience in the mechanics of mounting a show, because not everyone on the team has done this. The show continues to be an opportunity for artist development, in this way.
I hope to see lots of different work from all over the world that is here on our doorstep, and make sure to rest, so that we can share this beautiful work with the audience.
Q: What do you hope for audiences watching?
A: This is a hard one but I hope the audience actively reflects. I hope that during those softer quieter moments, the audience feels held, has a level of comfort which supports them to reflect on what they’re seeing, and evokes them to ask questions. I hope it welcomes people to reflect on how so many people’s ancestry, in regards to health and well-being practices, have been erased; supporting learning and curiosity.
through warm temperatures by Mele Broomes is presented at Assembly@DanceBase from 12-24 August at 1.15pm, as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase. Find out more here: https://www.melebroomes.com/through-warm-temperatures-mele