About

In the work of TeaTime Company, the boundaries between circus and dance fade and a new and hybrid movement language is created. Showing concrete, human reactions to abstract situations.

Vision

Our vision is to blur the boundaries between our disciplines in order to create one clear movement language.

Our aim is to communicate in a pure, honest and relatable way.

Our virtuosity lies not in the technique behind each movement but in the thought and person behind each movement. We believe strongly in connections, fluidity and the appearance of simplicity. Our performances are expressed through lightness, humour and intricacy.

We create charming and accessible work that carries complex ideas. We seek to highlight our similarities and celebrate our differences. We create and we share.

Founded in 2017, TeaTime Company started as a collaboration between artists Hannah Rogerson, Bavo De Smedt and Pieter Visser. The trio studied, in the fields of contemporary dance and circus, at Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Upon discovering their mutual interests and vision they decided to join forces in the creation of their own performing arts company.

TeaTime Company grew into a company where different artists from different countries comes together and create/ perform these unique concepts.

So why TeaTime?
 Tea is simple.

All it takes is leaves and hot water. Just like tea, our strength lies in simplicity with complexity hidden within. Tea is enjoyed by rich and poor, by one or by many, across nearly every country and culture.

Tea is a pause. A moment to think, communicate and reflect. This is what we want to offer to our audience, to connect with yourself and others.

Whether you need to laugh or cry, admire or critique, whichever background you have. It’s TeaTime.

Team

Founders

Bavo De Smedt

Artistic leader from 2017

Bavo De Smedt is a Belgian circus artist and co-founder of TeaTime Company. He graduated in 2017 from the Fontys Academy of Circus and Performance Art in Tilburg, specialising in Chinese pole and the interest of combining multiple art forms into one. Prior to his formal training, Bavo gained experience as a circus teacher, hospital clown, and street performer.

Growing up on a Flemish country side with a focus on nature conservation, Bavo developed a deep appreciation for simplicity and the natural world. This upbringing continues to influence his artistic work, inspiring him to find profound meaning in small, everyday elements.

In 2017, Bavo co-founded TeaTime Company with Hannah Rogerson and Pieter Visser, aiming to blend circus and dance into a unique movement language. As of the end of 2024, he serves as the company’s Artistic Leader, performing in three of its productions. Bavo’s work is driven by a desire to uncover stories in the world around us, using dance and circus as tools to bring these narratives to the stage.

Direct contact: bavo@teatime-company.com

Hannah Rogerson

Artistic leader from 2017 – 2023

Hannah Rogerson is an Irish creator, performer and co-founder of TeaTime Company. Hannah graduated in 2017 from Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts (Tilburg, NL) with a degree in Dance Theatre/Modern.

Alongside TeaTime Company Hannah has worked with several companies spanning across the fields of dance, circus, performance art and location theater: Cie. Woest, Katja Heitmann, Maiden Voyage Dance Company, Irish Modern Dance Theatre, Nick Nikolaou, Justine Doswell and Attic Projects.

In 2023 Hannah returned home to Ireland to explore her interest in ecology and to study Sustainable Horticulture in Kinsale, Co. Cork. For Hannah art and nature are inherently intertwined and both, when practiced sustainably, follow the ethos of creation over consumption.

Hannah has continued to perform, create and/or research with: Twisted Lane Productions, Fregoli Theater, Doulab Circus and Dance, Diarmuid Armstrong Maycock & Bob Kelly and Fionnuala Doyle Wade & Roberta Ceginskaite.

After six years of co-directing, co-producing and performing with her dear friends at TeaTime Company Hannah is proud to watch the company move into its next phase under the artistic direction of Bavo De Smedt.

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit” – Nelson Henderson

Contact: hannahrogersondanceandcircus@gmail.com

Hannah is a member of ISACS, Dance Ireland and has been the recipient of the Arts Council of Ireland’s Circus Bursary Award.

Pieter Visser

Artistic leader from 2017 – 2024

Pieter Visser graduated from the Fontys Academy of Circus and Performance Art in 2017. During his studies he developed an interest and an aptitude for combining juggling and movement, refining and developing his personal style to this day. From 2017 to 2024, Pieter has created and toured performances with TeaTime Company in over 16 countries. In 2024, Pieter decided to step down as co-artistic leader and pursue his solo career.

Currently he teaches and provides artistic support at the Fontys Circus Academy, and aspires to be a member of their artistic council. Furthermore he creates and performs with Tall Tales Company (NL) and Hippana.Maleta (DE/IE), and working towards creating his own performances in the future.

Feel free to get in touch: pieter_visser95@hotmail.com