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Huom! Poistunut ohjelmistosta!
Choreography: Kenneth Kvarnström
Music: Jukka Rintamäki
Set and lighting design: Jens Sethzman
Costumes: Helena Hörstedt
Dancers: Kenneth Bruun Carlson, Jenni-Elina Lehto, Kai Lähdesmäki, Janne Marja-aho, Valtteri Raekallio
Studio photos: Urban Jören
Stage photography: Jens Sethzman
(the original version was a co-production between NorrlandsOperan and K. Kvarnström & Co)
Enchanting dystopian dance Blackness in endless infinity, both seductive and frightening. It is as if all colour has been stripped away in Kenneth Kvarnström’s dystopian world Destruction Song II.The public hardly find their seats before they are surprised by an ear-splitting sound shock. Three faceless, black masked angels of death take the stage in a world where black ash covers the ground and a shiny dark light falls softly on hanging metal prisms. The only glimpse of a human presence is the dancers’ naked flickering figures that, like the chirping of birds, witness life amid the enveloping deadly blackness. At the start, the timing is somewhat uneven between the dancers Kenneth Bruun Carlson, Jenni-Elina Lehto, and Valtteri Raekallio, but they quickly find a common rhythm and dance with certainty and expressively both in unison as well as when the choreography cleaves into duets and solos. In Janne Marja-aho’s following expressive solo, the naked back is in focus. He is alone and desperate, a survivor after a catastrophe. The black is broken and light floods in through an opening at the back of the stage. The dancers dressed in black resemble their own silhouettes against the light and move at an increasingly accelerating tempo. The rhythm is like a pulsating heart and, in the dance’s seamless waves of movement, it appears as if one single organism is moving – billowing, powerful, and meticulous. Kvarnström’s brilliant body language with interesting details, and the intensive meeting that dissolves in slow meditative frequencies, make it all hypnotically intensive. The pressure increases and one feels an approaching explosion. Nevertheless, after chaos arrives, order and the rumbling music is replaced by an acoustic guitar solo from which humanity emerges. Marja-aho and Sofia Karlsson, who also danced in the original version 2008, unite in a final duet in a strangely beautiful farewell. Karlsson remains and is united with the angels of death. Jukka Rintamäki’s minimalist, electronic sound world and the scenographer Jens Sethzman’s stripped aesthetic perfect Destruction Song II into an incomparably excellent interplay, where the whole seduces and all one wants is to remain seated and to be absorbed by the beauty and melancholy. It is alleged sometimes that it is difficult for the uninitiated to understand modern dance. However, you do not need to understand Destruction Song II – just enjoy.
Lue lisääThe elegant union of strong movement and the color black A choreographer rarely gets the opportunity to rework his work. This is what happened to Kenneth Kvarnström when he started working on his Destruction Song for three dancers two years ago for five dancers in the Helsinki City Theatre’s dance group. The performance of two women and one man was supposed to be a new version for four men and one woman. At least this was not quite the case at the premiere, as due to an illness, Destruction Song II was performed with four dancers and the duet at the end was visited by Sofia Karlsson, who was involved in the original version. I saw the original version when it visited the Helsinki Festival last year. After one viewing, I can’t say that I remember the work completely, but I noticed that I now pay attention to partly different things than the first time. Also, the mood of destruction and the end of everything was not nearly as strong as before. Attention to the handsKvarnström is known above all for her strong, polished and holistic abstract movement, which flows through the work in a delicately sensual and sharply cutting way at the same time. All of this still had an impact on the performance, but now the dancers’ fingers and palms stood out both in terms of movement and visuals. They were highlighted as the only light points against the dancers’ all-black outfits and added to the insect-like impression of the costumes designed by Helena Hörstedt as they moved in a spider-like manner. Since the dancers, especially in the early part of the work, mostly moved as a group separately from each other in unison, even brief contacts were very important. That is why the two duets of the work also became central parts of the performance. The first of them, the tenacious duel by Janne Marja-aho and Jenni-Elina Lehto , was like the viewer’s preparation for the beautiful farewell duet at the end, which Marja-aho and Karlsson performed very touchingly, but still in such a neutral way that the viewer could decide for themselves what ended and why. Although the work was very dark and black was the starting point of the performance in every way, it was not gloomy. It was way too stylish for that. Jenz Setzhman’s play with black and white light and Jukka Rintamäki’s dark musical avalanche created a futuristic atmosphere of destruction that was both impressive and distancing at the same time. In addition to Marja-aho and Lehto, Valtteri Raekallio and Kenneth Bruun Carlson also did a rigorous and precise job. The whole foursome executed the performance so confidently and with such precision that there is nothing to add to it.
Lue lisääHelsinki Dance Company his home crowd irrefutably Dance, regardless of the genre, can be experienced as a performance as a close relative of the visual arts. Its aesthetics, as well as its roughness or ruthlessness, the restraint or eruption of emotions, are reminiscent of the flight and depressions of a brush on the canvas or the perception of a sculpture from matter. This kinship is perhaps most clearly expressed in contemporary dance, which is naturally paired with abstract expression. Just like a picture, dance was not born today or yesterday, everything it “tells” is about an age-old restlessness, the movement of waves, wind, fire and the human mind. “Song of Destruction” is not so much remembered for its dark destructiveness as for its dark blaze, which every body in the group reaches and reaches. The keywords of the movement language are purity and softness, they lubricate the technique, they eliminate the irrelevant. Sensuality is strongly present, not as an intrinsic value, but as a clear choreographic message. Kenneth Kvarnström’s art requires an insightful and high-quality group. Over the years, Helsinki Dance Company’s reputation has grown international. The audience got their experience at its most appealing this time as well. The stage design of Destruction Song is effectively minimalistic, with “ash” covering the ground. From there, dancers emerge who, with their faces covered at first, are like a threat from an alien planet. Resistance, submissiveness, the attraction of intimacy – the map of explanation is great for those who need it. Where the atonality and roughness of the music create frames, the costumes are stylishly positioned to support the dance transitions.
Lue lisääEnchanting dystopian dance Blackness in endless infinity, both seductive and frightening. It is as if all colour has been stripped away in Kenneth Kvarnström’s dystopian world Destruction Song II.The public hardly find their seats before they are surprised by an ear-splitting sound shock. Three faceless, black masked angels of death take the stage in a world where black ash covers the ground and a shiny dark light falls softly on hanging metal prisms. The only glimpse of a human presence is the dancers’ naked flickering figures that, like the chirping of birds, witness life amid the enveloping deadly blackness. At the start, the timing is somewhat uneven between the dancers Kenneth Bruun Carlson, Jenni-Elina Lehto, and Valtteri Raekallio, but they quickly find a common rhythm and dance with certainty and expressively both in unison as well as when the choreography cleaves into duets and solos. In Janne Marja-aho’s following expressive solo, the naked back is in focus. He is alone and desperate, a survivor after a catastrophe. The black is broken and light floods in through an opening at the back of the stage. The dancers dressed in black resemble their own silhouettes against the light and move at an increasingly accelerating tempo. The rhythm is like a pulsating heart and, in the dance’s seamless waves of movement, it appears as if one single organism is moving – billowing, powerful, and meticulous. Kvarnström’s brilliant body language with interesting details, and the intensive meeting that dissolves in slow meditative frequencies, make it all hypnotically intensive. The pressure increases and one feels an approaching explosion. Nevertheless, after chaos arrives, order and the rumbling music is replaced by an acoustic guitar solo from which humanity emerges. Marja-aho and Sofia Karlsson, who also danced in the original version 2008, unite in a final duet in a strangely beautiful farewell. Karlsson remains and is united with the angels of death. Jukka Rintamäki’s minimalist, electronic sound world and the scenographer Jens Sethzman’s stripped aesthetic perfect Destruction Song II into an incomparably excellent interplay, where the whole seduces and all one wants is to remain seated and to be absorbed by the beauty and melancholy. It is alleged sometimes that it is difficult for the uninitiated to understand modern dance. However, you do not need to understand Destruction Song II – just enjoy.
Lue lisääAFTER THE DESTRUCTION, THE WORLD IS BLACK The black-toned Destruction song II thrills with dance and atmosphere. Kenneth Kvarnström , the artistic director of the Helsinki City Theatre’s dance group, creates an unbroken line of movement in the deep black world. The choreographer really makes the dancers dance, the smooth movement flows through the hour-long performance. The movement material is once again clear and familiar to many. At first, there is emptiness and a rumbling sound of destruction. The stage wrapped in black is like after the end of the world. Shock turns people into shells, so much so that their faces are also covered in black. Gradually, they peel off their clothes, notice each other, start something, work, life. At the end comes the song, with tenderness, strength and also selfishness. For a long time, four dancers dance the same movements in a tight group. The direction of the front is largely straight ahead. They don’t see each other and don’t seem to look at their audience either, the alienation is total. They dance an elastic movement as empty shells. Jukka Rintamäki’s electronic music is enormous, it rolls over and rumbles. The volume doesn’t break your ears, but the enormity is like Hornets flying over a city. At first glance, the rhythm is indistinguishable, and it seems like a miracle thatKenneth Bruun Carlson, Jenni-Elina Lehto, Janne Marja-aho and Valtteri Raekallio are capable of perfect simultaneity of movements. The floor is covered with black plastic shreds that fly out from under your feet and with the force of movement. Jens Sethzman’s set changes shape, and as the dancers move, new patterns are constantly formed on the floor. The light comes as a strip from the side, sometimes the strip opens into the background background and shadows become pictures of the dancers. The rumble finally dies down and the rhythmic bang begins. In the second part, the dancers look at each other and at each other, there is a glimmer of humanity in their eyes. At the same time, we see Kenneth Kvarnström’s trademark, the skilful transport of the group. The duet at the end, which promises new strength, is the song of the work. It was interpreted at the premiere by Janne Marja-aho and Sofia Karlsson, who already danced in the first trio version of Destruction song in 2008. The third dancer at that time was Cilla Olsen. In a duet, the couple dances together, manipulating each other. There is a glimmer of tenderness in the movements, but perhaps the benefit gained from the relationship is the most important thing. Still, the vocals provide comfort, which is also hinted at by Rintamäki’s music, which is replaced by the delicate strumming of a lonely guitar. The starting point for the work has been the colour black and its variation. Swedish costume designer Helena Hörstedt has dressed the dancers’ basic black outfits with various black ribbons like liquorice string. There is a liquorice spiral hanging around his neck, the shirt reminds me of the Snöre liquorice ribbons bought on ships bound for Sweden. The costumes work well, the fabrics live with the dance and surprisingly there are also colors in the all-black. There have been unfortunate injuries in the six-member dance group. At the premiere, there were actually four dancers, with Sofia Karlsson, who is not mentioned in the programme, as the fifth. In future performances, the composition may be someone else. However, with a varying number of dancers, the work managed to look finished at the premiere. The skill of the dancers and the fact that music, set design and costumes work together with Kvarnström’s confident choreographic skills convey a comforting story of survival.
Lue lisääRead Helsingin Sanomat’s review at: http://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/tanssi/artikkeli/Tummaa+ja+kirkasta+Kvarnstr%C3%B6mi%C3%A4/HS20101122SI1KU024pg
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