A one-of-a-kind Tommi Kitti evening! The night begins with a performance and continues with a documentary film about Tommi Kitti. Following the performance, there will be an artist talk/Q&A featuring Tommi Kitti himself, alongside dancer Unna Kitti and musician Sampo Lassila.
Spiraali (Spiral) is a sensual duet about a romantic relationship. The piece critically examines modern human perceptions through the movement vocabulary of contemporary dance. Two dancers and two musicians perform on stage.
Tommi Kitti’s intimate, human-centered relationship with dance—alongside his kinetic virtuosity and dynamism—elevated his works to the forefront of the most original Finnish and international contemporary dance in the early 2000s. Kitti’s pieces and working methods have had a profound influence on many of today’s Finnish dance makers.
Following an intermission, the evening continues with the documentary film Tommi Kitti and the Art of Quitting (2024). The film explores the possibility of a total life change, regardless of age or status. In the film, choreographer Valtteri Raekallio travels to the snowy wilderness of Lapland to persuade his master, Tommi Kitti—who has withdrawn from the art scene—to restage one of his former dance works.
The intergenerational continuum of art-making and the transfer of tacit knowledge become tangible when a veteran who left everything behind re-engages with today’s leading artists after a decade apart.
The Art of Quitting is a charmingly epic road trip addressing life’s big questions and values. What causes a person to step down at the height of their career and abandon everything they built for decades? Is it possible to find a new direction and meaning outside one’s established environment? When is it time to quit—or to start something completely new?
The documentary follows Tommi Kitti as he restages his piece Wrong Key (2003) for the first time in nearly 20 years, which was remounted at the Alexander Theatre in the spring of 2023. The work features some of Finland’s finest dancers, including original cast members as well as dancers learning the piece for the first time.
This heartwarming 1,000-kilometer journey from the fells to the dance stage and back invites viewers into an extraordinary life story filled with rare artistic and personal encounters.
The film will be followed by a Q&A session featuring Tommi Kitti himself, alongside dancer Unna Kitti and musician Sampo Lassila.
Dancers: Unna Kitti and Mikko Makkonen
Musicians: Sampo Lassila, Ville Hukkinen
Choreography: Tommi Kitti
Lighting Design: Janne Teivainen
Sound Mixing: Janne Teivainen
Costume Design: Roosa Marttiini
Production: Pohjoinen liike ry
Premiere: October 6, 2000