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| Ula Sickle: Light Solos offers some ilumination as the November gloom kicks off. |
THE oldest and most significant contemporary dance festival in the Helsinki area, Moving in November makes its way to the Capital Region from 1-9 November. With the events being staged in Kiasma Theatre, Stoa, Zodiak – Center for New Dance, Mediakeskus Lume and Espoon kulttuurikeskus, Louhisali, the festival proclaims its mission to present interesting contemporary works and artists to the metropolitan audience.
Kicking things off, Olga de Soto takes a plunge into history. Tracing the history of Kurt Jooss’ Green Table, a piece of art created a few months before Hitler rose to power in Germany, de Soto draws on interviews staged with artists, spectators and researchers, to create an image of a artists’ group whose journey is intriguing and inspirational to witness.
Meanwhile, Jérôme Bel’s teams up with a crew of actors with mental disabilities from the Zürich-based Theater Hora for Disabled Theater. Having sparked both debate and praise across Europe, the performanc challenges and reconfigures its audience’s relationship toward otherness created by disability.
Setting light and visuality as its starting points, Pierre Droulers’ Soleils makes it’s home at the festival, with the choreographer and dancer appearing at the festival for the second time.
In a similar vein, being as it is November, the topic of light features prominently during the festival, with Meg Stuart’s Violet and Ula Sickle’s Light Solos also embracing our urgent need for illumination this time of year. Elina Pirinen’s Personal Symphonic Moment is this year’s Finnish premiere, in co-production with Zodiak – Center for New Dance, offering a meeting point of personal sensitivity and the symphonic roar of Shostakovich.
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Moving in November |
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| Jérôme Bel: Disabled Theater. |
Meanwhile, Swiss dancer Thomas Hauert will be conducting a workshop during the week, with a festival club bringing things to a close on 9 November at Bar Sandro.
James O’Sullivan
