Review: no-no

Replay that impresses

When Kenneth Kvarnström , after four years as artistic director of Dansens Hus in Stockholm, is now making a comeback as a choreographer in Helsinki, we are witnessing a significant event in the history of Finnish contemporary dance.
The revival of no-no for today’s Helsinki Dance Company offers a uniquely strong and evocative work whose appeal has by no means lost its relevance. The ensemble’s interpretation is good enough even now.


The cult phenomenon is back

At the world premiere in 1996, no-no became a cult phenomenon, an audience magnet and a flagship for the renewed dance group and its new leader – Kvarnström. It was like an echo of the ensemble’s earlier glory period in the 1980s under the direction and repertoire of Jorma Uotinen . Today, the group’s profile is different and Kvarnström’s comeback is part of a series of works created by guest choreographers.

In Kenneth Kvarnström’s own repertoire, no-no is of course one of the gems and well worth a rerun. It still stands out as a masterful, drilled and top-designed work – from structure and whole down to the smallest detail and nuance. The dramaturgical tension does not let go of its grip for a moment as the plot develops from a low-key introduction via more varied forms and symbolic events towards the ending’s strongly captivating climax.

The stage world is graphic and minimalist in black, white and steel with shades created by the lighting. A podium like a bench or a catwalk frames the stage as an intimate and focused place where charged meetings take place.

One often gets the impression that it is a question of a secluded or private room and that the outside world can be restrictive in relation to what is happening there. Quite often, the plot appears dreamlike, surrell or still film-like drawn-out, which gives the viewer a new interpretive filter. The scene is like a mirror of the subconscious.


Oriental references

The collage of the soundscape creates an oriental, Islamic, perhaps North African reference, which is highly significant for the whole and the atmosphere. Precisely this, which twelve years ago mostly appeared exotic and different, can today be read in a new way in the light of current politics and extremism. Who are these men with “Arabic” texts on their bare torsos?

The plot of the work is created by and in dance and movement. The physical expression takes on strong symbolism and opens up to interpretation when the movement, as the choreographer herself usually says, moves between the abstract and the narrative.


Cool tilt speech

Choreographically, the emphasis is on the duets. One is struck by how much shifts in the center of gravity can mean when one controls and models while the other in full trust allows it to happen. Shortly thereafter, the roles are reversed. Trios, solos, parallel duets and unison group dance eluborate the stage image and meaning. It is often a question of very sensual encounters and of ecstatic and electrified impulses that run through the bodies. When this is combined with restraint and an impression of absence, a cool and delicious address is created. Fragility or vulnerability set against strength and control appears to be a fundamental theme in structure as well as body language.

No-no has now been dimensioned up by moving the work to the small stage and by having it performed by ten dancers instead of seven. The change has not eroded the impact. Kai Lähdesmäki and Unto Nuora are featured from the original version. Otherwise, the ensemble has been renewed. Even the new ones have the charisma, present and technique required. Among them, I experienced Jenni-Elina Lehto and Valtteri Raekallio in a class of their own with their highly nuanced body language.