Mortal Tropical Dances is a peculiarly, romantically, lustfully, painfully and ecstatically danced, sung, played and prayed contemporary, symphonic, feministic, ritualistic feast by choreographer-music maker Elina Pirinen and her fellow artists.
Mortal Tropical Dances focuses on the concept of ceremonies by dancing, playing, singing, and praying out energy, sex, hope, madness, joy, suffering, humor, imagination, warmth, and comfort. It is a peculiar work – sometimes romantic, sometimes painful, sometimes ecstatically and ritualistic – performed by seven international dancers and accompanied by a live Renaissance chorus and the energetic music composition full of different layers, doom guitars, strings, electronics, bells, and percussion by composer Ville Kabrell.
Together with the transformative architectures of the ceremonials of the bodies and live music, the visual stage also travels between temperatures, smells, colors, paints, smokes, fluids and solid matter. The volume of the work blurs the line between the subject and the object proposing an intersubjective caress. How to share and receive life forces?
Elina´s work aims to create counterforces of subconscious heat in today´s world dominated by a depressing and fearful zeitgeist. The more alive, fearless, wilder, and wider the canvas of the stage is, the easier it is for us all to reflect ourselves on it and open new doors to imaginative worlds.
Duration: 75 minutes
Co- produced by Zodiak- Center for New Dance, Dance House Helsinki, Libidian Wonders and Carte Blanche in collaboration with the Nordic Next Network. Supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Nordic Culture Point, Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Premiere 5 May 2023 at Erkko Hall, Dance House Helsinki, Finland