Review: Gravity
Gravity @ Helsinki City TheatreI saw Gravity in its re-premiere on 20 September.Gravity, choreographed by Jarkko Mandelin, is a collaboration between Helsinki Dance Company and Kinetic Orchestra. The set and lighting design is by William Iles, the costume design by Elina Kolehmainen, the composition and sound design by Janne Hasti and the make-up by Jaana Nykänen. Dancers Mikko Paloniemi, Jyrki Kasper, Justus Pienmunne, Mia Jaatinen, Sanni Giordani, Kalle Lähde, Oskari Turpeinen and Suvi Nieminen will be seen on stage.
I’m going to start this post with the traditional “I really should go see more dance” statement, because despite my big plans, Gravity is only the third dance piece I’ve seen this year. Well, if I still had time to enjoy dance theater a few times at the end of the year, it would be more than I have watched dance in any year. At least the excitement is through the roof after seeing Gravity, because this amazing forty-five minutes completely charmed me.
Despite my little dance watching experience, I know very well what kind of dance I like to watch the most, and Gravity’s choreography, which celebrates the flexibility, strength, speed and physicality of the human body, is dance to my taste. Combining partner acrobatics, tricks, contemporary dance, combat choreography and versatile fast and calm movement, Gravity is intense and gripping, and it certainly won’t let the dancers off the hook. They pull through the choreography with amazing sharpness, sensitivity, power, and intensity. The fast-paced, demanding and impressive parts of the choreography are my favorites, as are the moments where you can see the influence of martial arts. The calmer moments with charge also made an impression.
A dystopian or post-apocalyptic urban landscape is created with Janne Hast’s skilful sound design and William Iles’ set design, which is dominated by a concrete element that has split into two parts. Elina Kolehmainen’s costume design is practical, suitable for the theme of the performance. The movement of the dancers, as a group, as couples and as individuals, immediately took my thoughts to a close-knit group that spends time together. The industrial soundscape and some kind of gloom at the beginning set the framework for the world that has changed, and in which the dancers are now. Gravity opened up to me strongly as the story of a group welded together in a new kind of world. Maybe it’s my fascination with dystopian stories, but that’s what I also read about Gravita. Thanks to the storytelling that settles effortlessly into the movement narrative, I think Gravity would also work as a dance film.
The work is nuanced, interesting and, thanks to its expressive dancers, very multi-layered. While on the neighbouring stage, the prince and the mermaid converse in small steps through dance, on the Small Stage, the conversation expands into a diverse movement language. I really liked how narrative and narrative the choreography is, and how meaningful the looks, small movements and gestures seem among the more spectacular tricks. The choreography includes individual, pair, smaller and whole group parts, and the ensembles in the couple parts, for example, vary. The whole eighth of dancers works seamlessly together, and that’s how it should be, when the movements depend on precision and precision. Gravity offers dancers the opportunity to shine alone and together. The versatile choreography, which varies in rhythm, atmosphere and intensity, brings several levels to the dancers’ work.
Gravity was actually exactly what I hoped for from it. A fast-paced and captivating performance whose choreography has both dazzling flexibility, explosive power and more serene, deliberate movement, as well as interpretation, elements that bring storytelling, narrative and meanings to the dance. Although the plot is a slightly different concept in a dance work than in traditional narrative theatre, Gravity has a clear plot thematically, movement-wise, choreographically and comprehensively, which carries with a confident grip throughout the performance. For those who watch less dance, Gravity is wonderful to watch, as it has both the bodily virtuosity that is specifically part of dance that makes an impression, as well as narrative content that gives “posture” to watching. A great experience! Impressive, felt in the body and mind. Oh, I’d love to see this again. Warm recommendation, Gravity is gorgeous. And what would a dance piece be without running – you always have to have a little bit of it.