Review: Tanssiaiset

The daughter’s revenge is terrible

The dance-like play shook both mother and daughter. We recommend both!

14-year-old Antoinette would like to attend a ball organised by her family. At least for fifteen minutes,” he says. But the mother says no.

No, no and no.


Based on the book by Irene Némirovsky, The Ball is a small, big story about how a mother’s unreasonableness drives her daughter to completely disproportionate revenge. The themes of the extremely touching play, which uses a lot of dance, are the growth of a young girl into a woman and, on the other hand, the relationship of an adult woman to her own aging, and the viewer cannot prevent their own memories and thoughts from flooding out. Sympathies are sometimes on the side of a teenager who is raging in her longing for love and hunger for life, and sometimes on the side of a mother who has already experienced life’s bumps.

I went to see the Ball at the Helsinki City Theatre with my 15-year-old daughter, and we were both equally delighted and impressed. The conversation continued throughout the journey home and even the next day. We recommend!