The evening of local dance art!
Duration of the evening: approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. After the performances, you can stay and chat with the artists in the audience discussion led by Tuula Penttilä.
Ada Freund: Once I was a bird – and other attempts
The work-in-progress solo piece Once I Was a Bird – and Other Attempts explores the subtle boundary between illusion and reality, breaking down assumptions by constructing imaginary worlds. Are we all dependent on our illusions and perceptions? Do we consciously choose to dream and imagine, or are we simply guided by instinct?
Through the characters, the piece travels through many journeys and spaces, questioning the nature of personal reality – we are all dependent on our own illusions. Freund embodies absurdity and irrationality – a primitive state where encountering oneself and others is possible through illusions.
Choreography and dance: Ada Freund
Photo: Mari Waegelain
Salla Talvikki Nieminen: Tämä ei ole tanssiteos
Tämä ei ole tanssiteos is a dance work about the definitions and expectations related to dance. In the performance, which has absurd and even humorous tones, we see a dancer who both dances and does not dance: he may dance, pretend to dance, consider dancing, hope to dance, be afraid to dance, be ashamed to dance, love dancing.
In the performance, which is swaying towards some kind of freedom, we see a dance that crawls, wanders, jumps, sways, thrashes, wrestles, gets tired and stumbles. How to shake off unnecessary definitions? The performance is suitable for anyone who has ever felt a little cramped under the pressure of expectations and definitions related to anything.
“Getting smaller and smaller. I’m melting from the inside, my heart is flowing to my feet. I can’t. I wish I were somewhere else. My fingers are trembling, my spirit is squirming in them. I’m fidgeting. I’m told I should jump, but my feet are stuck to the ground and my heart is bouncing in my socks. I lift my toes, hoping someone will see. This is where I’m dancing.”
The work has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Hämeen Fund.
Dance: Salla Talvikki Nieminen
Ada Freund is a Finnish dance artist. She graduated from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (UK) in 2022 and completed postgraduate studies at PERA School of Performing Arts (CY). She has worked with international choreographers such as Eleanor Perry and Daniel Hay-Gordon, Jos Baker, Marion Sparber and Alan Fuentes-Guerra, Phil Sanger, Jean Abreu and Vivianne Budsko-Lomm. Ada is particularly inspired by the playfulness of imagination and the use of sensory experiences in her work. In addition to her work as a dancer, she has choreographed solo works, duets and group works (including Forgotten Rocks, Page 22, Garden Gatherings, Illusions). Currently, Ada works as a choreographer and artistic designer for the dance company cie.acompagniada. She has also taught as a guest teacher at Tanssiteatteri Tanssivarpaat and Sibelius opisto.
Salla Talvikki Nieminen is a multidisciplinary artist who works at the intersections and in-betweens of contemporary dance, performance, poetry and photography. She studied contemporary dance in Germany, graduated with a Master of Arts from Aalto University and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Helsinki. Nieminen has performed her dance and performance works at festivals, museums and galleries in Finland and abroad. She has produced events for the Hämeenlinna Dance Factory and worked at the Hämeenlinna City Museum and the Hämeenlinna Art Museum. She also promotes the art scene in the Hämeenlinna region by actively writing about art events in the Kulttuurimedia online publication.
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