What if an external gaze wouldn’t determine one’s way of existing? How to make space for multiple ways of being?
NEON BEIGE was born out of the need to make space for new kinds of representations on the stage.
In the background of the stage work there also is an experience of a need to blend in, to feel acceptance, while simultaneously always standing out, by being often the only person of color in the room. Especially the personal memories are strongly associated with this experience of external gaze and its influence on self-perception, behavior, and dreams.
The roots of NEON BEIGE extend to many places and times, braiding in the lived experiences, memories and dreams of the choreographer-performer Alen Nsambu. The notion of cut 'n' mix by Thomas F. DeFrantz has impacted the fragmented dramaturgy of the performance. Found objects and elements on the stage become portals to different worlds, memories and futures. In this stage work, the performer’s body flows through different registers, metamorphosis and landscapes creating a potential towards something new.
The meaning of neon beige is a space where one is not in the spotlight nor in the center but where one's own outlines shine strong enough, so that there is no space left for opacity or unclarity.
Bios
Angel Emmanuel is a Helsinki-based textile artist specializing in costume design and styling for three years. A performance artist and storyteller, she shines in the Finnish ballroom scene, recently embracing plant parenthood.
Aino Kontinen is a Helsinki based scenographic artist and writer working with lens-based art and performing arts. Her practices draw from the relationship between a body and a space focusing on spatio-temporal and bodily perspectives through scenography, dramaturgy and camerawork. She is graduating from the Theatre Academy with a Master of Arts degree in the spring 2024.
Nori Kin is a musician, producer and sound designer working in the field of experimental electronic music under their Exploited Body alias. They are also the founder of Helsinki-based experimental label Changeless. They are a babygirl. <3
Alen Nsambu is a Finnish-Angolan performer and choreographer based in Helsinki. Nsambu graduated from Den Danske Scenekunstskolen in Copenhagen with a BFA degree in dance and choreography in 2022. They have worked internationally as a performer with various directors and choreographers, and have also presented their own works in venues such as Amos Rex as part of the Generation2023 -triennial and at the International Performing Arts Festival in Copenhagen. NEON BEIGE is Nsambu's first full-length stage work as a choreographer.
Susi Siriya Orenius is a writer, director and dramaturg living in Helsinki. They graduated from the Theatre Academy in 2023 with a MA in performing arts. They love music, dancing, spending time with their friends and organizing events. Their work is post discipline, in various fields & waters.
Ritni Ráste Pieski is a Deanu river Sámi storyteller, choreographer, dancer, performer and drag artist. He is busy with decoloniality, radical dreaming, alter egos, joy and humor. His latest works include decolonial queer utopia Girjái, this is an invitation at Amos Rex and common moves at Oodi Library.
Titus Torniainen is a lighting, video and spatial designer. He has worked broadly in the fields of performing arts, roles ranging from overall visual designer to technical lead to performer to artistic director. His latest works include performance art piece Tyhjyys (Lepo Collective, 2023), documentary theatre performance Pudota (Finnish National Theatre, 2023) and contemporary puppet theatre show Korhosen muotokuva (Vaurioteatteri, 2022).
Excerpts of songs
Boris Gardiner - “Every Nigger Is a Star”
Ginuwine - “Pony”
Florence Beatrice Price - “Symphony No.3 in C Minor II”
Thank you
Sonya Lindfors, Johanna Karlberg, Helinä Kumpulainen, Pääsky Miettinen, Iiris Puustinen, Saana Volanen, Kirsi Lähteenmäki, Isabel Nsambu, Roosa Törmä, David Degasper, Elis Lindfors, mothers, fathers, parents, friends and close ones, and the whole staff of Zodiak.
Credits
This performance has been supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Kone Foundation, Nordic Culture Point, Kansan Sivistysrahasto, City of Espoo, Ehkä-tuotanto, and Zodiak - Center for New Dance.
Performer, choreographer: Alen Nsambu
Dramaturge: Susi Siriya Orenius
Costume design: Angel Emmanuel
Sound design: Nori Kin
Lighting design: Titus Torniainen
Spatial design: Aino Kontinen & Titus Torniainen
Participating in the process: Ritni Ráste Pieski
Production: Zodiak – Center for New Dance, Alen Nsambu, Ehkä-tuotanto
Residency: Ehkä-tuotanto
Performance dates
Premiere:
Fri 26.4.2024 klo 19.00
Zodiak Stage, Cable Factory, Helsinki
Other performances:
Sun 28.4. klo 15
Mon 29.4. klo 19*
Tue 30.4. klo 19
Thu 2.5. klo 19
Fri 3.5. klo 19
Sat 4.5. klo 19
Mon 6.5. klo 19
Tue 7.5. klo 19
*Post-performance discussion.
Duration: 60 mins
Theatrical haze will be used during the performance. Strong strobe light effects and loud sounds occur, as well as a slight scent of lavender.