Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#95): Lucy Lynch, THE BUTTERFLY WHO FLEW INTO THE RAVE
As anticipation builds for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, we’re catching up with a range of exciting creatives preparing to bring their work to the world’s largest arts festival this August. In this series, we delve into the stories behind the shows, the inspiration driving the artists, and what audiences can expect. Today, we’re joined by choreographer and performer Lucy Lynch to chat about The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave.
1. Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?
The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave was conceptualised by Oli Mathiesen, with myself and Sharvon Mortimer as co-choreographers. Performed to the entire album Nocturbulous Behaviour by Suburan Knight, the show embraces the movement vocabulary of techno and rave culture, creating a contemporary nightclub experience expressed through three bodies. We like to think of it as a three day rave condensed into 60 minutes of relentless, seamless movement, perfectly synced to every beat. What unfolds before the audience is the gradual physical and emotional wear of three human beings: sweat, pain, and pure endurance on full display. Inspired by the energy and emotion of rave culture, the piece taps into that primal need to keep going, keep pushing, and chase more… no matter the cost.
2. What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?
The Edinburgh Fringe is where I want to be every year! The Fringe is the perfect platform for us because it embraces bold, boundary-pushing works. It offers a unique space for connection, risk-taking, and celebrates diverse voices, exactly what The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave embodies. Sharing it here means stepping into a global conversation and inviting others to witness this intense, wild journey alongside us! Coming from New Zealand, it’s easy to feel isolated on the other side of the globe, so travelling 30+ hours to share this work literally on the other side of the world with new audiences is a dream come true for us.
3. How would you describe your show in three words?
Visceral, Gruelling, Transformative.
4. What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?
As dancers, this piece challenges us to the edges of our physical and emotional endurance, reflecting the experience of living in a body that embodies both vulnerability and resilience. We want audiences to feel that raw intensity, to witness a body that fights, feels deeply, and soars all at once and perhaps see a part of themselves in that journey. Whether it’s ecstasy, exhaustion, grief, or release, I hope it reminds them of their aliveness, and maybe even reconnects them to the parts of themselves they’ve had to hide or harden to survive. OR…just simply inspire them to go out and rave after!
5. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?
Honestly, I have no idea. If anyone has any tips for me, then please share them! Surviving the Edinburgh fringe will be hard enough without performing a show that pushes you to the brink mentally and physically. Half of my luggage will be filled with an abundance of vitamins, protein, rollers and massage contraptions so hopefully one of those things will help me feel human. I attended last year as just an audience member, and I can say that limiting the number of shows I saw each day definitely helped with survival. It’s tricky to find the right balance between catching as much as possible, soaking up the energy, and enjoying the late-night festivities… but if you can find that balance, I think you’re on the path to Fringe success!
6. Where and when can people see your show?
Main Hall, Summerhall, 31 July – 25 August at 6:05pm
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