RO-TES–រទេះ – Bold Moves, Big Heart, and Cambodian Soul by Choreographer Nadenh Poan
10 October 2025
RO-TES–រទេះ is my first choreographic work for Stopgap Dance Company — and what a journey it’s been!
The piece is inspired by my Cambodian heritage and my lived experience as a Disabled artist.
For me, it’s about reimagining my wheelchair — not just as something that supports my body, but as something much more: a way to connect, to create, and to feel free.
I grew up on a boat in the jungles of Cambodia, and I could swim before I could wheel. I still remember the first time I saw a ro-tes (Khmer for “wagon”) – it was the first time I realised that I could move with the land, not just on water. That memory stayed with me and became the spark behind RO-TES–រទេះ.
Over the years, I’ve performed in many works with Stopgap, but RO-TES–រទេះ is the first time I’ve taken the lead as choreographer. It’s a big step for me, and something I’m incredibly proud of.
The piece is highly physical, full of bold movement and joyful rhythms, shaped by both my personal story and the amazing creative team I worked with.
As always with Stopgap, access was at the heart of the process. Performances start with a touch tour and a warm introduction from one of the dancers. We also worked with Lily Norton, who created a beautiful poetic audio description that’s embedded right into the soundtrack, which was composed by the talented multi-instrumentalist, Vincent Dankelman.
Something else we cared deeply about while making RO-TES–រទេះ was sustainability. From the very beginning, we asked ourselves: how can we reduce our impact? So we upcycled wherever we could. The ro-tes we use on stage is my old dance wheelchair, cleverly reimagined and adapted by the amazing design team at XKX, opening up a whole new world of movement.
And the costumes, they tell a subtle story too. Cambodia’s garment industry is both its biggest employer and its biggest source of industrial waste. So, we chose to move away from fast fashion. Our costumes, created by Ryan Marlon-Munroe, are made from a patchwork of preloved clothes and old performance pieces — each one with its own past life.
RO-TES–រទេះ has grown and evolved thanks to my fellow dancers, our creative team, and of course, the audiences we’ve met along the way. This summer’s tour ended on a real high: performing at La Mercè Festival in Barcelona as part of Manchester’s Guest City programme. It was my first time sharing my choreography with an international audience — and it meant the world to me. Seeing their response, feeling their energy and love for the work… it’s something I’ll never forget.
I really hope RO-TES–រទេះ continues to travel — across Europe and beyond. It’s been such a joy to share my culture, my story, and my creativity through this piece. And I’m so thankful to everyone who helped bring it to life.
Thank you for being part of the journey.
MORE ABOUT STOPGAP DANCE COMPANY
Stopgap Dance Company is driven by a diverse creative team who uses dance as a movement for change.
Their mission is to create an inclusive world where diversity is not just accepted but pursued, a world where no one is limited by prejudice against Deaf, Disabled, or neurodivergent people.
Working with an artform shaped by human touch and energised by the spark of connectivity, their work demonstrates the compelling power of diversity and inclusivity. They move together to create a remarkable experience that transforms society’s perceptions of difference and dismantle the inequity of privilege, in dance and in all aspects of living, collaborating, and creating together as humans.
Their work is both focused on and born out of the company’s rigorous investment in equity and inclusive culture. They are committed to removing barriers to dance, nurturing the talents of dancers born into any body and any mind. They are in coalition with a wave of organisations moving towards a better representation of diversity on our stages and in society.
They are a global leader of disability access in dance and continuously examine best practice. They actively advocate for the industry and the wider world to become more inclusive.
Image credits:
Banner image: RO-TES–រទេះ by Stopgap Dance Company © Chris Parkes.
RO-TES–រទេះ by Stopgap Dance Company © Stopgap Dance Company.
RO-TES–រទេះ by Stopgap Dance Company © Stopgap Dance Company.
