Elina Pirinen

Ghosts of Rosegarden is an expressive fairy tale about a garden brimming with libidinal wonders. There, seven ecstatic wildlings, a mother and her dead cat, a hot string quartet and an amorous bassoonist stop each other’s blood and burst the air out of one another.

They blossom, engage in cheerful perversions and sacrifice themselves day and night at their otherworldly, never-ending barbecue parties. They grill dust and lava, serving up delicious new prophecies. They embrace trauma-islands inherited from their ancestors, scratch the writing of love with the thorns of roses, and chase prayers into the azure blue of the sky.

Deep in the back of the garden wanders the cycle of destruction and creativity. 

The piece performs boisterous autopsies and twists the plots of the past and current narratives of sacrifice. 

The large-scale stage work Ghosts of Rosegarden is performed by eight international dancers, Felix Urbina Alejandre, Simone Lorenzo Benini, Elias Berglund, Age Linkmann, Julia Mäkelä, Arolin Raudva, Vera Tegelman and Elina Pirinen, alongside string quartet Terhi Paldanius, Reeta Maalismaa, Hanna Hohti and Joasia Cieslak and bassoonist Antti Salovaara from the Finnish Avanti! Chamber Orchestra.

The work is envisioned, choreographed, and written by multidisciplinary dance artist Elina Pirinen. The music is composed by Ville Kabrell. The dramaturgy is by stage artist Ami Karvonen, with spatial and lighting design by Mateus Manninen. The costumes are designed by fashion designer Antrea Kantakoski, and the live cinema is created by film and stage artist Jakob Öhrman. 

The work will premiere in Dance House Helsinki's Erkko Hall in October 2026, co-produced by Zodiak – Center for New Dance (Finland), Libidian House by Elina Pirinen (Finland), Sõltumatu Tantsu Lava (Estonia), Dansens Hus (Sweden), BIT Bergen Internasjonale Teater (Norway), Avanti! chamber orchestra (Finland). 

Performances in Helsinki: Oct 6–10, 2026
Performances at Sõltumatu Tantsu Festival (Tallinn): Oct 16 & 17, 2026
Performances at Danses Hus Stockholm: Oct 30 & 31, 2026

“Four good friends travel through time and space for an alchemical and sensuous celebration full of phantasms. Familiar yet unexpected faces appear along the way.”

REDDENING, by choreographer Elina Pirinen and visual artist Sinem Kayacan, is a genre-bender arthouse fantasy film, at the intersection of contemporary performance and experimental fiction.

The title REDDENING refers to the final stage of alchemy; Rubedo, in which the alchemical transformation takes place. REDDENING explores how a film, as a sensuous object, can pleasure; repulse, nurture, and overall transmute the body of the audience.

Duration: Short Film (15min.)
Genre description: Fiction/Fantasy/Experimental