LAST AND FIRST MEN by NEON DANCE,

Jóhann Jóhannsson & Yair Elazar Glotman, narration by Tilda Swinton



“Listen patiently. We who are the last men, earnestly desire to communicate with you…”

A future race is on the verge of extinction. Almost all that’s left are lone, surreal monuments, beaming into the wilderness. Across 2,000 million years, these future beings come offering help — but they also ask for ours. What they want from us is something only the performance can reveal.

Crafted over seven years and completed by Yair Elazar Glotman following Jóhann Jóhannsson’s untimely death, "Last and First Men" takes Olaf Stapledon’s visionary 1930 sci-fi novel and transforms it into a deeply moving exploration of humanity’s dystopian future. The performance fuses film and contemporary dance, and science-fiction with breathtaking 16mm footage, Tilda Swinton’s indelible voice and the composer’s mesmerising orchestral score.

Set in a distant future where the human race teeters on the brink of extinction, the last remnants of humanity — the last men — reach back across two billion years to speak to us, the first men. Now, the film’s vast, surreal imagery becomes a stage for movement.

Striking choreography breathes life into this haunting vision of a world beyond our own — one shaped by extraordinary abilities, new possibilities, and profound difference.

Led by choreographer Adrienne Hart, Neon Dance presents a compelling hybrid performance featuring world renowned dance artists Fukiko Takase, Aoi Nakamura, and Kelvin Kilonzo, with costume artefacts from the award winning Ana Rajčević.


This special Newcastle performance offers an intimate setting — a rare opportunity to experience the power and precision of world-class contemporary dance up close. Having toured Last and First Men to acclaim across Europe and recently at Rising Festival, Melbourne, Neon Dance invites audiences in the North East to witness this unforgettable encounter between film, music, and movement.


Creative Team:

Created by Neon Dance

Concept & Direction: Adrienne Hart

Film: Jóhann Jóhannsson

Musical Direction: Yair Elazar Glotman

Composition: Johann Jóhannsson & Yair Elazar Glotman

Choreography: Adrienne Hart in collaboration with Fukiko Takase, Kelvin Kilonzo, Aoi Nakamura, Makiko Aoyama

Dance Performance: Fukiko Takase, Kelvin Kilonzo, Aoi Nakamura 

Lighting Design: Nico De Rooij 

Costume Design: Mikio Sakabe & Ana Rajcevic

Artefacts: Ana Rajcevic

Technical Management: Frazer Riches
Photography: Miles Hart

Graphic Design: Naile Muslu

International Tour Management: Disk Agency / Remco Schuurbiers

Project Management: Maeve O’Neill

Supported by: CTM Festival Berlin, Sadler’s Wells, Swindon Dance, Pavilion Dance South West

Funded by: Arts Council England



NEON DANCE is an internationally renowned company that embraces a diverse and digital population; a place where artists, partners and people can engage in experiences that are experimental and original, yet accessible to all. neondance.org

Instagram: @neondance | Twitter: @neon_dance | Facebook: @NeonDanceUk

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/neondancecompany



There will be a Post Show Talk after the performance.