Review: Softandhard

The energy bomb of the dance group

In Helsinki City Theatre’s latest dance production, Softandhard , the artists have collaborated excellently. The playful and energetic choreography of the 26-year-old Slovak choreographer Anton Lachky has been paired with the musical minimalism of the French composer Simon Thiérrée .

The combination is unusually intriguing. The string sawing of the music and the upbeat themes of the piano, combined with the boisterous runs and chases of the choreography, make it difficult for the viewer to stay still.

The business ideas go back surprisingly much to the end of the 1980s, the boom of physical dance. Of course, there are also influences from Lachky’s champion Akram Khan.

The works of the turn of the 80s and 90s were tested by a problem-oriented approach, while Lachky’s physical dance in the 2000s is lightened by dizzying speed and hilarity. Who said that the funniest works are created when the economy sinks to the bottom and survival is jeopardized?

The work as a whole is fresh and lively. In the middle of the dizzying running sessions, there is a surprisingly theatrical scene, like Japanese kabuki theater with its exaggerated characters. Inka Tiitinen is the excellent comedian of the episode, and the dancers in the group are happy to reproduce her gestures and facial expressions.

If you want to read a story from an hour-long book, it undoubtedly brings us to a time of innocence, when running was the only way to move, chasing and teasing was the only way to socialize with a crush.