Review: hardcore humppa

HARDCORE HUMPPA

Helsinki Dance Company thrills with its physical presence to the beat of music composed by Kimmo Pohjonen.
The hump of life is hard, heavy and full of love worries. Still, you should not be discouraged, but hit a new worm on the hook. And the dancers of Helsinki Dance Company don’t hump, but dance like it’s the last day.

Choreographer Harri Kuorelahti is a former dancer in the company and now seems to have returned to the time when he was involved, especially when Kenneth Kvarnström was the leader. The stage is a rehearsal hall for a dance group, where demanding dance sections are performed between mutual chatter. They are full of lifts, dancing trusting each other and breathing to the same beat. The movement is physical and uses space holistically. Everyone lifts everyone.

The demanding nature of the movements is emphasized after the scenes by snorting on all fours. The voices are loud, as each dancer is miked.

The actual speech is given by actress Leena Rapola, who blends in with the moving group quite exemplarily. Rapola laconically lists everyday things: Facebook. Cohabitation. Marriage. and so on. The rehearsals, the hardness of the dance profession and everyday life come to the fore.

Kuorelahti says that the actual theme of the work in the programme leaflet is presence, and the dancers are present when they move. Instead, the listed words sound like thoughts floating in the air, when thinking about them, a person is not present in the state in which they are physically. A similar image comes to mind when Rapola reads a letter written in love sorrow to a former lover.

Dancers Mikko Lampinen, Jenni-Elina Lehto, Kai Lähdesmäki, Valtteri Raekallio, Inka Tiitinen and Laura Vesterinen , who jumped to the premiere from a reserve cast, dance together as if thinking the same idea. This group can be given any material related to the movement by the choreographer, and they will make an impressive performance out of it. The physicality of the dance and the automatically strong presence of a professional dancer make everything look great.

Kimmo Pohjonen’s music is transformative, supportive of dance and forward-looking. Pohjonen will be joined on the tape by Samuli Kosminen and Sami Kuoppamäki. The wonderfully simple set design was created by Antti Rehtijärvi. A large round lampshade hangs from the ceiling. It reflects light and shapes and even doubles as a video screen. The video image appears as a negative, a shadow image of life.