Kekäläinen & Company Turns 30 – Join Us in Celebration!
Founded in 1996, Kekäläinen & Company celebrates 30 years of creativity. The anniversary year kicked off in Portugal with the premiere of Conversas com Formigas in early February. In Finland, the celebrations begin in April with the premiere of new multidisciplinary work Formica Fusca on Thursday April 9th at Taidekoti Kirpilä in Helsinki. Six performances are coming, and tickets are available on Fienta’s website.
Throughout our 30-year history, we have been working internationally. Accordingly, the anniversary year began in Portugal, where the ant-themed Conversas com Formigas premiered at Teatro Mosca AMAS on February 12th. The acclaimed work marks the second premiere in our long-term international collaboration with Teatro Mosca, Leirena Teatro, and Colectivo Glovo – and is the first large work created for a group consisting of members of the project. Performances in Portugal continue until March 9th.
-The premiere received an amazing response. It has been touching to hear the audience’s enthusiastic reactions and varied interpretations of the work. In Portugal, I incorporated the theater’s auditorium into the performance, so that Surma, the sound artist that works across Europe, plays alive among the audience. This dissolves the boundary between stage and auditorium, spreading the work throughout the space. The rest of the team was made up of top professionals – the production was a complete success, says Sanna Kekäläinen.
The intimate premiere of Formica Fusca opens the anniversary year in Finland
In Finland, the anniversary year opens with the intimate Formica Fusca. The concept, choreography, direction, and performing of the work are by Sanna Kekäläinen. Text is written by Kari Hukkila, an author who has studied ants extensively, and guest singer Janne Marja-Aho joins the performance.
Formica Fusca combines the movement-based Encyclopaedia of Movement -section with the textual My Dream is Made of Facts -section. The work seeks dialogue with the Ant world by juxtaposing Ant behavior to human behavior on earth. Taidekoti Kirpilä, a former private home, provides a unique setting for these performances. Read more about the work here.
The 30th anniversary of Kekäläinen & Company continues throughout the year – stay tuned
The main work of Kekäläinen & Company’s anniversary year will premiere in the autumn. Details will be announced later – stay tuned!
FORMICA FUSCA – Speech and Song about Ants
Taidekoti Kirpilä, Pohjoinen Hesperiankatu 7, Helsinki
Performances
Thu 9.4. at 18:00
Sat 11.4. at 16:00
Thu 16.4. at 18:00
Sat 18.4. at 16:00
Thu 23.4. at 18:00
Sat 25.4. at 16:00
Tickets are €10 each, with limited availability.