How to share the earth-shattering power of life? Award-winning dance artist and music maker Elina Pirinen’s long-awaited new symphonic creation Mortal Tropical Dances will fill the large stage of Dance House Helsinki with special dances arising from our inner tropics, wild live music, mesmerising colours and scents.
The sensual core of Mortal Tropical Dances focuses on the ceremonies of hunger for life driving our inner tectonic plates, and their individually changing forms. The production brings the daring and wise heat of the human subconscious to the stage. Mortal Tropical Dances connects intensively with the audience by dancing, playing, singing and praying out energy, sex, hope, madness, deep joy, suffering, humour, imagination, warmth and comfort.
…the bagpipes play and the bambies say:
“follow us to the amber lake
find the gun
lets have fun”
the hunters’ hour meets the night
the hunters’ hour meets the night
the hunters’ hour meets the night
pick the cloudberry and the wild rosemary
mark your trail with their light…
Ville Kabrell has through-composed the massive layered live music for the production. The performers in the production include an international ensemble of seven dancers and eleven musicians from various genres of music.
Early music vocal ensemble Lumen Valo will be seen and heard on stage with various doom guitars, carillons and percussion instruments, machines, strings, growls, mantras and prayers written for the production. Ville Kabrell and Lumen Valo will be joined by drummer Tatu Rönkkö and guitarist Pyry Nikkilä.
The dancers performing Mortal Tropical Dances are Karolina Ginman (FI), Una Björg Bjarnadottir (IS) & Felix Urbina (MX) from Iceland Dance Company, Simone Benini (IT), Adrian Bartczak (PL) & Caroline Eckly (FR) from Carte Blanche Norway and Elina Pirinen (FI).
The production’s artistic working group also includes dramaturg Heidi Väätänen, light and stage designer Mikko Hynninen and costume designer Jouko Korkeasaari.
With her productions, Elina Pirinen wants to create counterforces to the world as we know it, long dominated by a fearful and depressing atmosphere. The more alive, broader, wilder and fearless the stage canvas is, the easier it is for us all to reflect our whole lives on it and open new doors to maintain the meaningfulness of life.
VIDEO
Choreographer: Elina Pirinen
Performers in the video: Adrian Bartczak, Simone Benini, Una Björg,
Caroline Eckly, Karolina Ginman, Elina Pirinen, Felix Urbina, Pyry
Nikkilä, Ville Kabrell
Costume design: Jouko Korkeasaari
Video prouction assistant: Andre Vicentini
Video and editing: Sinem Kayacan
Music: Ville Kabrell
Credits
Choreographer, poetry: Elina Pirinen
Composer: Ville Kabrell
Dramaturge: Heidi Väätänen
Dancers: Adrian Bartczak, Simone Benini, Una Björg Bjarnadottir, Caroline Eckly, Karolina Ginman, Elina Pirinen, Felix Urbina. The dancers have participated in creating choreographic material through their embodiment and movement wisdom.
Musicians:
Tatu Rönkkö – percussions, bells, dulcimer
Pyry Nikkilä – guitar, dulcimer
Ville Kabrell – synthesizer, guitar, dulcimer
Lumen valo vocal group:
Anna Ruotsala & Titta Lampela, • soprano
Hanna Graeffe & Riikka Noreila, alto
Aaro Haapaniemi & Arttu Hartikainen, tenor
Erkki Hannonen & Juha Suomalainen, bass
Costume design: Jouko Korkeasaari
Lighting and spatial design: Mikko Hynninen
Choreographer’s assistant: Karolina Ginman
Technical sound designer: Antti Kainulainen
Artistic mentor: Carmen Mehnert
Producer: Maija Eränen
Administration: Outi Järvinen / Arts Management Helsinki
Co-production: Dance House Helsinki, Zodiak – Center for New Dance, Carte Blanche Norway, Libidian Wonders
Supported by: Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Nordic Culture Point / Culture and Art Programme, Finnish Cultural Foundation (as part of SPARKS project)
Photos: Venla Helenius
PREMIERE
There is a small amount of so called "pay what you can" tickets available for each performance date. The PWYC tickets can be bought in advance via this link.
With this gesture we wish to guarentee that no one is turned away for lack of funds.
The performances utilizes theatre haze, loud noises and scents.
Tickets: 42 / 38 / 25 eur
Duration: 90 min, no intermission
Age recommendation: 16+
Post-performance discussion: Wed, May 10th
The performance is not included in Zodiak's serial ticket. Dance House Helsinki is responsible for the performance's ticket sales.
The production is a part of Dance House Helsinki's SPARKS project.
