Review: Keijukaisneuvos Koo

Weekday fairies are lovable gliders

If fairies aren’t from the world of dance, then at least they could be. Light, graceful spirit beings, whose every step resembles a gliding leap or a thin breath. Known species include flower fairies, blue maidens and, for example, swirls of mist rising from the mist. And then there are the weekday fairies that you may not have heard of.

The Helsinki City Theatre dance group/ Helsinki Dance Company knows all seven fairies from different days, or were there eight? Yes, kind of eight, because Fairy Counsellor Koo is very important in this weekly cavalcade. A kind of conductor who holds on to the edge of the schedule in his research chamber. Makes sure that Monday is followed by Tuesday and not, for example, Saturday. And since he has sippers and who knows what condensers or accelerators in his office, he can’t resist trying them out from time to time. Even fairies sometimes have problems with concentration and too fast imagination.

Jyrki Karttunen’s dance work deals with the essence of time in a fun way and takes its audience, both child and adult viewers. The movement language of the dancers wanders through time according to each episode, starting with minuet-like swings and wide arm arches, and smoothly moving to the 1930s to Charles Chaplin’s City Lights and choreographically crazy boxing ring, or to the gallant flight and shuttle above the stage on a Thursday. Time jumps – literally – are possible both forwards and backwards. The polished and lively acrobatics and aesthetics of contemporary dance come into their own.

There is no dialogue in the performance, but there are Keijukaisneuvos Koo’s peculiar narrator’s lines. This is a good solution, especially for a child audience, as it makes it easier for the dance piece to unfold. The days of the week have their own characteristics that make them behave in a certain way. That they are familiar traits – tantrums, teasing, competitive spirit – it brings the creatures closer to the audience, its thoughts and expectations. Koo, or Jyrki Karttunen, is appealing in his absent-mindedness – he knows, does magic and dances (like a boss fairy), but he doesn’t always remember. And falling in love in the fairy world is just as comical from the sidelines as it is off the fairy tale/stage.

American jazz musician Cole Porter’s well-known composition Begin The Beguine from 1935 and Tuomas Fränti’s comprehensive fairy-light music will complement each soloist’s performance in turn. Eero Vesterinen’s expressive Thursday, Jenni-Elina von Bagh’s unruly Saturday and Sofia Hill’s mischievous Wednesday seek a break from the slower pulse of the beginning of the week, which Sofia Ylinen and Mikko Paloniemi easily interpreted. At the end of the week, we will travel to the mood-raising party with Heidi Naakka and Kai Lähdesmäki acting as competent guides.

The stage design and costumes crown the visual offering, and when it comes to the battle of the giants and the battle of the dwarves, those scenes are thanks to the fairy magic powder. Some call it videography.

Children are also happy to participate in the performance with their own statements. It happened at the premiere as well, but in future screenings, one would hope that the stage instigators would be even more energetic. At least it does not diminish the sense of experience and community. Just as not that the exceptionally long final applause and stomping would be rewarded with an extra, in this case a “thanksgiving dance”, I guess.