Top choreographer’s visually stunning new Out of Order combines dance and magic

“Working on Out of Order has been a demanding and exceptionally communal process. I believe that the audience senses the care, craftsmanship and attention to detail that is present in every moment and in every aspect of the performance, from the movement and staging of the dancers to the lighting design, costumes and sound. Out of Order creates a poetic landscape that invites the viewer to make their own interpretations and make a personal connection with the work,” says choreographer Fernando Melo.

“An almost round auditorium usually poses challenges to the construction of visual illusions, but together with a set design team consisting of top theatre professionals, we managed to find a solution that turns this challenge into a strength. This time, HKT’s small stage itself and its special features served as the central inspiration for the work,” says Kalle Nio, who has designed sets for various touring stages.

The set design, which is based on the construction of visual illusions, also offers its own kind of challenges for the dancers.

“There is not much room for error in creating this kind of magic. To create the illusion, we need to be very precise with both timing and movement. In addition, the work behind the illusion should not be visible – it reminds me of ballet, which is really demanding but at its best looks so incredibly light and effortless. It’s a kind of illusion,” says dancer Aksinja Lommi.

When the leader of the dance group, Valtteri Raekallio , heard a few years ago that Fernando Melo and Kalle Nio had started working together, he immediately realised that he wanted a piece for the dance group from the duo.

“I have admired the work of both of them for more than a decade and I am immensely happy and proud that our theatre is able to make it possible for the Finnish dance audience to create a new work by these exceptional artists,” Raekallio says.

Out of Order is a journey into a world of disappearing and reappearing images, which is shaped through mirrors that move on stage, choreography and optical illusions. The work is made up of fragmented scenes that are presented in disarray, like pieces of a puzzle of a larger whole. The work invites the viewer to put together a performative puzzle according to their own liking.

The title Out of Order refers not only to something that has been broken, but also to the non-linear structure of the work. Essentially, the work deals with memory, perception, and other imperfect ways in which we try to structure our lives. Flaws, small flaws, and the parts of us that are out of place are not abnormalities, but a basic condition for being alive.

Out of Order features HDC’s experienced and brilliant dancers Sofia Hilli, Jyrki Kasper, Aksinja Lommi, Pekka Louhio, Kalle Lähde, Mikko Paloniemi, Justus Pienmunne and Inka Tiitinen.

The costumes for the performance were designed by Samu-Jussi Koski, known from the Samuji fashion brand and a theatre costume designer. The lighting designer is Aku Lahti and the sound designer is Eero Niemi. The camouflage is designed by Tuula Kuittinen.

Fernando Melo is a Brazilian-born choreographer and dancer living in Sweden. She began her dance and theatre education in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro and at the age of 16 received a scholarship to train at the Vienna State Opera Ballet in Austria. She has since worked as a dancer and choreographer around the world in opera houses, dance companies and theatres. Her artistic approach combines precise movement language and visual storytelling, where movement, space and music merge into a holistic experience. Melo is known for its ability to create works that challenge traditional boundaries and speak to audiences both emotionally and aesthetically.

Visual artist and magician Kalle Nio’s work combines magic, visual arts, film, art history, circus and theatre into a unique artistic language. Nio has a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of the Arts Helsinki in Helsinki. With her performing arts group WHS, she has toured more than 30 countries. Her visual art exhibitions, video installations and short films have been shown in museums and galleries in Finland and internationally. He is also one of the founders of the Helsinki-based Teatteri Union.

Fernando Melo and Kalle Nio’s previous collaboration Tempo premiered at the Finnish National Opera as part of the Helsinki Festival programme in August 2025 and has since toured Asia and Europe.

Helsinki Dance Company is a contemporary dance company founded in 1973 in connection with the Helsinki City Theatre. Helsinki Dance Company has worked with several renowned artists over the years and has also had a significant impact on the professionalization of dance art in Finland. In addition to independent dance productions, dancers have performed extensively in theatre productions from plays to musicals, as well as worked in choreographic tasks. The company is known for its charismatic and expressive dancers, as well as its visually polished and movement-strong works. At the moment, the group produces two premieres a year, one in the autumn season and one in the spring season. The dance group is led by Valtteri Raekallio.

Read the interview with the choreographer and set designer on the theatre’s website: Human Experience of Disorder.

Out of Order premiere 11.3.2026 on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5).

Tickets: student ticket €22.50 (Mon-Thu), pensioner ticket €42 (Mon-Thu), basic ticket €45 #outoforder @hktfi @helsinkidancecompany

Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 3940 22 Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket offices First line 2, Mon-Fri 12-17, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (performance days) 11-18.30 and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9-19, Sun 12-16, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/from min+local network charge) www.hkt.fi

Press release photo: Bryan Saragoza, photo Sofia Hilli and Justus Pienmunne

Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki