Review: no-no

Spirituality in our bodies

The dance company of the Helsinki City Theatre has brought back to the stage a successful work from twelve years ago called no-no, which choreographer Kenneth Kvarnström created as his landmark work when he was the artistic director of the company. You wouldn’t believe the work was made more than a decade ago. No-no is still topical in terms of its subject matter and innovative and engaging in its movement. The recurring themes are belief in something greater than us and, on the other hand, faith in a friend.

The movements that activate the whole body are directed upwards, as if towards the kingdom of heaven. Repeated lifting, leaning and leaning on each other tell about a sense of community, about considering the other person good. Music takes you around the religious world, but people are always the same. Divinity is everywhere, including within ourselves. The delicate songs that sound like a call to prayer direct thoughts to oriental mysticism.

For the first time in a long time, the dance group of the Helsinki City Theatre will really be able to show off their dancing skills. Kvarnström’s movement material is organic and flowing. The movement flows through the dancers’ bodies in both slow solo scenes and fast-paced, space-moving sections.

The puzzle of group scenes moves precisely but easily, the dancers let go and trust each other. They empathize with their dance and interpret the movement according to their own personality. Still, if necessary, ten dancers dance exactly at the same time, which is something that rehearsal instructor Kaisa Torkkel has taken good care of.