EMPIRE (OF MY BLOOD)
BALLET / DANCE · 2026
Music and sound design for a dance work by Nicola Wills
About the work
Inspired by the relationship between Agrippina and her son, the Roman emperor Nero, Empire explores a family caught between power, ambition and betrayal. Through a dark psychological drama, the choreography examines the complicated relationship between love and control, where personal loyalties become entangled with political ambition. As the boundaries between affection and manipulation begin to dissolve, the work explores the destructive consequences of the pursuit of power.
Originally premiered as Of My Blood at Origen Festival in Switzerland in August 2026.
Photo by Admill Kuyler
COMPOSITION & SOUND DESIGN
CHOREOGRAPHY
DANCERS
INSTRUMENTATION
Adam Vincent Clarke
Nicola Wills
Kiley Dolaway, David Correa, Pjotr Nuyts, Tars Vandebeek
Orchestra, synth, electronics
PREMIERE
PERFORMANCES
COMMISSIONED BY
Lukas Marian
Franck Bourgoin
Origen Festival, Switzerland
6 - 9 August 2026, der Burg, Riom (CH)
Giovanni Netzer (Festival Origen Cultural)
LIGHT DESIGN
SOUND
Press
“Adam Vincent Clarke's music sustains the tension of the dark drama.””
— LESLIE KRUMWEIDE, TANZNETZ, AUGUST ‘26