Gentle yet resonant, Janis Mackay and Nada Shawa’s Mending Nets, is a weaving of poetry, dance, and storytelling into a tapestry of shared humanity. Created as a bridge between Scotland and Palestine, the show is intimate in scale but expansive in emotional reach; and the entire room can feel it. Punctuated with Shawa’s poetry, which is lyrical, direct and unflinching, her reflections on Gaza through spoken word sequences like ‘Indigenous Soul’, pierce through the gentility of the physical performance with a quiet urgency. Yet even in its most painful moments, the show never loses grace. Shawa and Mackay’s movements merge seamlessly, integrating into the storytelling, each complementing the other’s fluidity.

A central crux for the performance is Mackay’s telling of ‘The Fish’s Mouth’, an old Palestinian folk tale. Her voice carries the warmth of tradition and the hope of transformation, illustrating how a single act of kindness can ripple through communities. The show’s refrain becomes a shared breath, a heartbeat that binds audiences. Mending Nets doesn’t shout; it listens, invites and heals, speaking with waves rather than fire (we’ve had enough of that). This is a quietly powerful testament to friendship, resistance and the enduring need to share.

Mending Nets, Scottish Storytelling Centre, until 25 August, 1.30pm; main picture: Lucas Chih-Peng Kao.