TERO SAARINEN COMPANY

Choreographer Tero Saarinen has been intrigued by the minimalism and austerity of the Shakers since the late 1980's, when he first saw a documentary about Doris Humphrey's Shaker-inspired choreography. Saarinen, whose own choreographic style displays features of classical ballet, Butoh and Western contemporary dance, was inspired by the strong communal values and strikingly beautiful, functionalistic aesthetics of this radical religious movement of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Tero Saarinen's choreography can also be admired for the way that, despite its waiting-room theme, there are no gratuitous 'waits', rather it is one continual motion and transformation. There is more of an embarrassment of riches with regard to poised and polished movement. The viewer is positively able to feast on the details of the action.

And, once again, Saarinen is able to work with a dream team. Apart from the movement, these magnificent dancers have also fully absorbed the idea of the performance, with the splendid Henrikki Heikkilä in the forefront. Mikki Kunttu's lighting once more initially appears unobtrusive, but again manages to surprise.

If this superb package is a 'work in progress', then what might a 'finished' dance work be like on its first night!

ABSENT PRESENCE is the first part of the mix bill BLOSSOM & DECAY followed by a solo HUNT or MAN IN A ROOM

Inspired by the life of the American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko (1903-1970), the work is exploring man's creative anxiety. The music by Gavin Bryars was made to illustrate a BBC programme for teaching how to play cards. The group of young Finnish cello players Apocalyptica drives the 'game' in another direction.

MAN IN A ROOM is part of the program BLOSSOM & DECAY

Saarinen's ecstatic interpretation also raises the question of the role that information plays in contemporary people's lives. Are we sacrificing our bodies, our senses, our memories and our knowledge for a flood of information? The starting point is that the choice has already been made… The leading Finnish multimedia artist Marita Liulia adds a virtual level to the stage. 

HUNT is part of the program BLOSSOM & DECAY

Scheme of Things presents a cornucopia of emotions and patterns of behaviour that repeatedly manifest themselves in our relationships. The work was originally created for NDT1 and will be transferred into Tero Saarinen Company's repertoire in 2011.

This work is part of the mix bill : SCHEME OF THINGS I VOX BALAENAE

Tero Saarinen's new creation, Vox Balaenae, features the music of American composer Georg Crumb, who's eerie but powerful Vox Balaenae has haunted Saarinen for years. Composed for flute, cello and piano, the unique composition was inspired by the singing of the humpback whale.

Deeply moved by the music, Saarinen started work on the new creation in 2010, inspired by many of the same themes as Crumb: the great forces of nature and modern man's alienation from the environment are strongly present in both the music and Saarinen's choreography.

Vox Balaenae marks the beginning of Tero Saarinen Company's collaboration with Paris-based Ensemble intercontemporain whose artistic director, Susanna Mälkki, is a fellow Finn. At the premiere in Automne en Normandie and following performances at Festival Les Boréales the music will be performed live, and danced by Tero Saarinen himself. The work can also be performed with taped music.

The collaboration is a continuation of the deep interconnection of dance and music, characteristic of Saarinen's creations. Many of his best known works - such as Borrowed Light, performed together with The Boston Camerata and two of his renowned Stravinsky works, Mariage (Ballet et Opéra de Lorraine) and Petrushka - also feature live music.

This work is part of the mix bill : SCHEME OF THINGS I VOX BALAENAE