Tide Time
A guided walk and performance by Alise Putniņa
Date: Friday 6 November 2026
Performance Times: 16:00 - 18:30
Location: Starts at the Folkestone Fishing Museum - Harbour Outer Slipway - Stade - Little Sands
Free, drop in
Come and tie a knot with us.
In Folkestone, fishing was the work of the town for generations, and much of what the fishing community knows has never been written down. It lives in people’s hands and voices: how to tie a knot, how boats are named, what you never say before going to sea. We would like to hear it, learn it and pass it on, together.
Alise came to Folkestone through Magic Carpets and spent time at the Fishing Museum, at St Peter’s Church and on the Stade, listening to fishermen and historians. This performance grows from those conversations.
“I grew up by the Baltic Sea, where the tide barely moves, and in Folkestone I found a sea that comes and goes twice a day and a community that has lived by its rhythm for centuries. My work invites people to understand heritage through their own bodies: carrying, tying, living it together. Here, knowledge from Folkestone’s fishermen becomes something the town can hold in its hands, if only for one evening.”
Everyone is welcome. No dance experience is needed, and there is nothing to prepare.
The performance launches Beating the Bounds, part of Layer Cake, Folkestone Fringe’s project exploring the town’s working history, and is part of SALT 2026, our festival of climate, coast and community.
How to join in
- Drop in at the Fishing Museum from 4pm. Have a look around, pick up a cord and learn a simple knot from Frank.
- Come to the Harbour Outer Slipway fence and pick up a cord and a pair of headphones. Watch the performance on the Harbour Slipway, around 4:30pm.
- Join your knot to someone else’s on the Stade. Alan and John will help you tie it into one long rope.
- Walk the rope together to Little Sands. Carry it along the Stade as the light fades.
- Gather on the sand for a last dance, guided by Alise. Walk slowly back to the Fishing Museum and leave a memory shell there.
Good to know
- Route: it will take roughly 1 hour.
- What to wear: warm clothes and shoes you can walk in. There are street lamps, but it will be getting dark.
- Headphones: Wireless headphones are provided and need to be returned at the end. Alise’s voice will guide you through the whole walk.
- Access: the route is step-free as far as Little Sands. At Little Sands there is a ramp for wheelchair users, as well as steps down to the beach.
About Alise
Alise is a dancer, movement practitioner and educator based in Riga, Latvia. She has worked with theatre directors on performances for adults and young people, and on community projects in Latvia and abroad. She teaches contact improvisation, draws on yoga and contemporary dance, and is developing her own movement method. In her work she looks for ways to get as close as possible to the audience, and she often combines movement with visual art.
Credits:
Dancers Eréndira Cañedo and Josie Carter
Folkestone Fishing Museum: Alan Taylor, John Gale and Frank Bond
Sound design: Scott
Photography and film: Carl Warren and Clare Unsworth
Production by Folkestone Fringe
Curated by Sangmin Cha
Supported by Magic Carpets, New Theatre Institute of Latvia, Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
You can find out more about the artist here:
