The starting point of the Renaissance has been change, transformation, the experience of rebirth and transition, both on a personal level and within society at large. Giving it a performative form has proven to be challenging.
Throughout the process, we have drawn inspiration from various myths of transformation, natural metamorphoses, and complex periods of transition, such as the Renaissance era in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. This was a time that laid the foundation for contemporary conceptions of humanity.
Against the backdrop of old ideals and the separateness of the individual, the work explores questions of support, gender, the search for connection, wonder, longing, messiness, pleasure, and scales that surpass the dimensions of a single body.
Credits
On stage: Samuli Emery, Samuli Laine (WAUHAUS), Alen Nsambu, Ritni Ráste Pieski & Kauri Sorvari
Direction & Choreography: Juni Klein and Jarkko Partanen (WAUHAUS)
Scenography: Laura Haapakangas (WAUHAUS)
Sound design: Jussi Matikainen (WAUHAUS)
Lighting design: Kristian Palmu
Costume design: Hanne Jurmu
Assistant to the lighting designer: Saana Hannonen
Assistant to the costume designer: Salla Oinas
Realization of the costumes: Linda Seppälä
Assisting with the set construction: Saara Väre
Vocal coach: Kiia Laitakari
The choreographic material of the performance was created in collaboration with the performers.
Producer (WAUHAUS): Minttu-Maria Jäävuori
Executive director (WAUHAUS): Julia Hovi
Production: WAUHAUS & Zodiak – Center for New Dance
Residency Support: Kanuti Gildi SAAL
Supporters: Kone Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, City of Helsinki, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Finnish Cultural Foundation Residency Program
Excerpts from choral works to be heard during the performance:
Victoria, Tomás Luis de. O Magnum Mysterium. 1572.
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da. Sicut Cervus. 1604.
Bios
WAUHAUS
WAUHAUS is a Helsinki-based multidisciplinary arts collective that was founded in 2016. Their works are situated between different genres of art and have taken place at various venues, such as gallery spaces, small black box venues, urban sites, large stadiums, and the main stages of established theatre houses. WAUHAUS is known for their comprehensive audiovisual stage aesthetics and methods of shared authorship. The members of WAUHAUS are scenographer Laura Haapakangas, director Juni Klein, scenographer Samuli Laine, sound designer Jussi Matikainen, choreographer Jarkko Partanen, sound designer Heidi Soidinsalo, producer Minttu-Maria Jäävuori and managing director Julia Hovi. The collective collaborates with other artists and institutions both in Finland and abroad.
Hanne Jurmu
Hanne Jurmu´s costume design work has been seen on the stages of Q-teatteri, Teater Viirus and Zodiak as well as on programmes of Baltic Circle and The Stage of Contemporary Performance of Helsinki City Theatre. Jurmu holds a Master’s degree in Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design from Aalto University. They find joy in whittling sticks and spending time with cats.
Kristian Palmu
Kristian Palmu works with light and spaces, shaping shadows and colour vision on a Master degree in Theatre Arts. He finds inspiration in gloomy rooms, late fall puddles and vintage glass. His work has been described as poetic, experimental, masterful and cute.
Samuli Emery
Samuli considers themselves a youthful Finnish-British queer performance maker (amongst other things), who happens to have a complicated but touchingly obsessive relationship to dancing. After completing a formal Western staged contemporary dance education at Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD) they’ve worked internationally in the productions of artists such as Meg Stuart, Jerome Bel, Imre & Marne Van Opstal, Christoph Winkler, River Lin and Jill Crovisier. She tends to craft absurd performative situationships, teach passionately, invite people together into epic generative spaces and practise loving ways to remain housed in one's body.
Alen Nsambu
Alen Nsambu is Finnish-Angolan performer and choreographer based in Helsinki. Nsambu graduated from Den Danske Scenekunstskolen with a BFA in dance and choreography in 2022. Since graduating Nsambu has worked internationally with various directors, choreographers and artists such as Sonya Lindfors, Marie Topp, Ima Iduozee, Fallon Mayanja, Miles Greenberg and Filip Vest. Nsambu has also presented their own choreographic works in venues such as Zodiak - Center for New Dance in Helsinki, International Performing Arts Festival Copenhagen, Finnish National Theater and Amos Rex museum for contemporary art.
Ritni Ráste Pieski
Ritni Ráste Pieski is a Deanu river sámi drag artist, choreographer, dancer and performer. He is interested in decoloniality, radical dreaming, queering and humour. Pieski’s most recent works include Indigenous Drag Excellence XXL and Girjái - a decolonial queer utopia. He graduated from the University of the Arts Theatre Academy in spring 2023 with a bachelor's degree in dance and works as a freelancer. In drag he is known as Ritni Tears.
Kauri Sorvari
Kauri Sorvari is a Helsinki-Berlin based performer and a dance maker graduated from Theatre Academy Helsinki (BA & MA in dance performance), partly conducted in SODA-program (HZT, Berlin). Afterwards Kauri specialized for two years in musical theater, has studied classical piano and currently continues studying neuropsychiatric coaching. Kauri loves to learn from different contexts and working cultures, and works quite widely in the free field, part of collectives as well as in bigger institutions.
Thanks to
Heidi Soidinsalo, Anita Seppä, Jukka von Boehm, Aura Raulo, Meena Kaunisto, Annina Blom, Anna Talasniemi, Eeva Bergroth, Kaie Küünal, Eneli Järs, Maarja Kalmre, Elina Riikonen, Dr. Oetker, the whole team at Zodiak and all friends and loved ones.
Performance infos
Premiere:
Ti 3.12.2024 klo 19.00
Tanssin talo, Pannuhalli, Helsinki
Other performances:
Wed 4.12. klo 19*
Thu 5.12. klo 19
Sat 7.12. klo 19*
Tue 10.12. klo 19
Wed 11.12. klo 19
Thu 12.12. klo 19
Sat 14.12. klo 15
*Post-performance discussion
Duration: approx. 50 mins