Look forward with me
I am over there with you
Rooted in hope I reach out
Without touch, with you I reach
The birth of this piece happened with the snow filled branches of March when the future was hazy and unclear. When contact teaching was put on hold on 13th March 2020, an idea came about of connecting music, movement, dance, youth and adults via video when it otherwise was not possible. In March in Finland, there was no light at the end of the tunnel, and in retrospect that timespan seems odd and heavy. But the weather has changed from winter to spring. We were extremely lucky to have onboard musician Mari Kaasinen, who was excited by this strange spring’s project and composed an original track for the piece. Mari Kaasinen is a renowned musician and singer, and a founding member of folk music band Värttinä. In this piece, the choreographer’s Laplandish roots, the musician’s Karelian vocal tradition, and the youth’s movement interpretation of this time period and of joy of expression are intertwined with and further inspired by the local nature.
The cinematographer and choreographer travelled to the young dancers to different parts of Raseborg, Ingå, Helsinki.. each had the freedom to choose a milieu that is personally meaningful.
To all of us makers, the most significant part of the project was the meeting of one another, from a distance but together in that moment.
The urge to hug and hold, the chatter, the bliss of reunion, the delight of creating.. it was touching and wonderful. This project is Hurja Piruetti Western Uusimaa Dance Institute’s 25th anniversary deed.
You can see the hole video here: