Review: HDC2
Control of movement and rush
Helsinki Dance Company’s new ensemble, called HDC2, includes two contemporary dance works whose choreographers are at different stages of their careers. Simo Kellokumpu (b. 1972) has evoked promise for the future with his works, while the Norwegian Ina Christel Johannessen (b. 1959) is already one of the best-known dancers in her home country, whose works and the Zero Visibility Corp group have toured around the world and also in Finland.
Johannessen’s work, performed after the intermission, is a fine piece of work that fascinates from the very beginning. It is thoroughly mysterious in its world and atmosphere, and the movement language of the work arouses interest from the very first steps of Valtteri Raekallio .
According to the title, something scared the horses, but like the title, the whole work remains a mystical description of the relationships between two women and a man. The movement physically shows all the smallest tunes and vibrations that take place in the relationship triangle.
Abstinence
The field of distortions, vibrations and tensions can be seen in all movement that has developed on the basis of improvisation. In particular, the female dancers, the magnificent Sofia Hilli and Jenni-Elina Lehto , have embraced the movement quality of the work, which retains an interesting reserve between restraint and indulgence.
The movement never bursts in abundance or recklessly, but remains controlled, just like the relationships between the characters. When you look at it, you start to expect outbursts both in movement and in the relationships between the characters. The expectations are met perfectly.
Jukka Huitila’s set design also raises tensions about future events. On the edges of the stage are hundreds of wine bottles, each with a flower. From the beginning, you really wait for the bottles to fall over or break, but still, when the moment comes when Raekallio slams the bottle on the floor, you are startled.
The restraint and control inherent in the character of the characters in the work is illustrated by the fact that they do not react to broken glass even though they move barefoot on them.
Throwing yourself into it
Kellokumpu’s work, on the other hand, does not hold back, but throws itself into both movement and various emotional sensations.
Daydream Junkies, made for two female and four male dancers, depicts people who are intoxicated by daydreams and are addicted to the currents of life. The work is quite abstract and does not really emerge any clear themes or dramatic changes. And since the quality of movement never really starts to accelerate, the work starts to rotate in place.
Although the whole is not entirely convincing, there is an interesting frenzy in Kellokumpu’s movement, especially in the unison scenes. He uses a lot of fast-paced leg lifts and throws, which are contrasted with the dancers stopping as if gathering strength before the flow of the movement. As if focused on the excitement of a bow and arrow, the dancers create sculptural elements inside all the rush of movement.
The evening’s premieres are distinguished not only by the amount of experience of the creators, but also by the mastery of the whole. Johannessen’s work seems to be completely deliberate, all its elements from movement to stage view, fine costumes and choice of music have been thought out and acknowledged so that nothing is shown unnecessarily or too much. Kellokumpu’s work, on the other hand, would have needed both condensation and clarification of the concept.