Surreal gala evening
“I like the starting grids and point zero,” says choreographer Anton Lachky, who arrived in Helsinki a day earlier for the first week of Special Night’s rehearsals.
The last time Lachky visited the Helsinki City Theatre was 14 years ago. In the meantime, she has founded her own dance company and worked as a guest choreographer in Europe and the United States.
Lachky started making small choreographies while studying dance in her home country of Slovakia. Her dance studies later took her to Belgium, from there to a world tour with an English dance company and finally back to Belgium, where she continued to make choreographies. Now Lachky has been able to make them for 20 years.
Lachký says that he almost never plans his choreographies or chooses music before rehearsals begin.
“I choreograph all year round and I always come straight from the previous production. It is difficult to start a new creative work when the previous one is still in progress. That’s why creating a new choreography from scratch is always particularly exciting.”
In reality, however, Lachký does not start from scratch, but her own style, which has developed over the years, can be seen in each choreography. “I’ve always been characterized by speed and clarity, but the most important thing for me is the quality of the movements and the precision of the movements,” Lachky says.
In the first week of training, Lachký only has a hunch about Special Night . The only thing that is certain is that the performance will feature surreal images that will allow the audience to dive into different realities. “They can be anything between true and utter absurdity,” Lachky says.
The music probably mixes electronic, Western classical music and Japanese drum music. In her choreographic choices, Lachky relies on intuition and what kind of emotions the dancers’ movements produce in her.
“I never hold on to an idea if it doesn’t make me feel something. I believe that when someone touches or impresses me, it can also be felt in the viewer.”
Through surreal realities, the viewer can detach themselves from their everyday life and let their thoughts wander freely. Lachky hopes that the choreography will evoke a wide range of emotions that may be difficult to name, but also entertain the viewer.
“You don’t have to understand dance to enjoy it,” Lachky emphasizes.
Ida Henritius
December 2022