Tero Saarinen Company/Tero Saarinen & Kimmo Pohjonen: Breath

(Helsinki/Finland)

German premiere

A breath of air from the far north: two Finnish nature boys dance through the apocalypse. Kimmo Pohjonen has been described as the “Jimi Hendrix of the accordion.” The husky virtuoso has digitized his instrument and plugged it into the cyber-age. Constantly in motion, he conjures up veritable symphonic soundscapes. The choreographer Tero Saarinen, like his accordionist compatriot, also revels in crossing boundaries. His career has taken him from ballet to butoh and in the process he has developed his own, very personal, off-kilter movement language. Inspired by the grotesque imagination of the land of trolls and infused with absurd humour, this piece presents two figures wandering through a futuristic desert, spurred on by Samuel Beckett’s exhortation: “Dance first. Think later. It’s the natural order”. In the midst of flashes of light and luminous colours, two free spirits confront one another in search of a way out of their loneliness. How does one open up to something new without losing oneself in the process? How do we find the shared breath? This production employs stroboscopic effects.

“At no point is Pohjonen only a musician or Saarinen only a dancer – visually and tonally the Japanese aesthetic melds into something Baroque, sacred forms become a computer game, the archaic inclines towards the futuristic.” – Helsingin Sanomat, Helsinki

“The lighting effects create a rhythm, music and soundscape become movement, the dance is also music, shadows and light take on a corporeal presence. “Breath” astounds, bemuses, surprises and moves.” – Turun Sanomat, Turku (Finland)

“’Breath’ is a veritable eruption of energy, risk-taking on all levels: musical, visual, choreographic. An electrifying universe full of colours and intense dynamism.” – Le Devoir, Montrèal

Dates & Prices

Cat. 1: 39.– € / dis.: 31.– € / under-18: 31.– €
Cat. 2: 29.– € / dis.: 23.– € / under-18: 23.– €
Cat. 3: 19.– € / dis.: 15.– € / under-18: 15.– €

Credits

Dauer // Duration: ca. 65 Minuten ohne Pause // approx. 65 minutes with no intermission

 

Choreographie // Choreography: Tero Saarinen
Komposition, Arrangement, Musik // Composition, arrangement, music: Kimmo Pohjonen
Konzept // Concept: Tero Saarinen & Kimmo Pohjonen
Licht- & Bühnendesign // Lighting & set design: Mikki Kunttu
Kostümdesign // Costume design: Teemu Muurimäki
Sounddesign, Co-Arrangement // Sound design, co-arrangement: Tuomas Norvio
Assistenz des Choreographen // Choreographer’s assistant: Henrikki Heikkilä
Assistenz des Sounddesigners // Sound designer’s assistant: Sami Tammela
Uraufführung // World premiere: 12 April, 2018, Grand Théâtre de Québec, Quebec City, Canada

Tero Saarinen Company Technical & Production Staff

Technische Leitung on tour // Technical direction on tour: Klaus Eklund
Ton Supervisor // Sound Supervisor: Ville Finnilä
Leitung Internationale Beziehungen // Head of international Relations: Johanna Rajamäki
Tourneeleitung // Tour manager: Carita Weissenfelt 
Tourneetechniker // Tour technicians: Ville Konttinen

Organisationsleitung // Managing director: Iiris Autio
Leitung Marketing & Kommunikation // Head of marketing & communications: Terhi Mikkonen
Leitung Internationaler Vertrieb // Head of international sales: Johanna Rajamäki
Kompanieleitung // Company manager: Maiju Ristilä
Produktionskoordination // Production coordinator: Carita Weissenfelt

Photos: Perttu Saksa

Production: Tero Saarinen Company in collaboration with Tampere Hall and Alexander Theatre (Finland). Residency partner Vaba Lava (Estonia).

facebook @terosaarinencompany 
Instagram, Twitter @terosaarinenco

Funded by

Premium Partners

Supporters