dance in finland aino kukkonen, theatre research 1
TRANSCRIPT
Dance in Finland Aino Kukkonen, Theatre Research
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Content 10.12.2010 My PhD dissertation working title Postmodern on
the Move – Reflections on Finnish Dance in the 1980s
First a few words about dance research in general
Looking at the main features in Finnish dance history -> viewpoint dance as a performing art (cf. social dancing)
Finishing by looking at DVD examples on current Finnish dance
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Nature of the research ’object’ in dance research ”One of the problems which has preoccupied
certain dance scholars is the difficulty of determining or fixing in place the object of the study. For dance practitioners, dance completes itself in the moment of its disappearance, that is, in performance, and yet it is the nonreproducibility, the tracelessness, which has been regarded as the greatest impediment to its acceptance as a credible object of research.” (E. Dempster 1994)
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Reasons for neglect of dance research Ephemeral nature of movement Antique (Platon): division of dances to noble and
accepted and ugly and improper Negative opinion of the church (debate in Kuopio
1973!) Western dualism body/mind. Dance is activity of the
body -> ”dance is not intellectual” Women’s art, low status, morally dubious... Question of theory and practise – what is dance
theory, can you study it without dancing yourself? Lack of substantial and stable canon troughout
history. Modern dance: strive for new, personal vocabulary!
Key source is not traditional written one
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General lines in dance research• In Europe late comer in academic field • USA: dance within physical education at the
universities, degrees 1920s onwards• Started as dance history outside academia
1930s-50s (USA and UK)• Amatory history aspect in Finland: Raoul af
Hällström, dance critic, writer, director, founder of Dancers Union
• Academic dance research grew and diversified during 1980s -> From dance history and anthropology to dance studies
• Theoretical turn - new analytical perspectives to dance: semiotics, gender, body
• 1990s – some afraid of ”losing” the dance – need for own theory?
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Finnish dance research Until recently low status of the art form in
general Cf. arts based on language -> Finnish national identity and art created especially trough literature and theater
Finnish research starting during the 90s. First PhD in 1994, University of Helsinki
Now about 20 dissertations! Dissertations have applied frame work from
philosophy, aesthetics, cultural history, sociology, among others
Dance research itself is not a subject in Finnish universities and it is done under theatre or music departments
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Features of Finnish research Artistic research or ”practice-as-research”:
Theatre Academy the focus on the research done by artists themselves on their own work
Especial emphasis on phenomenological approach (7 dissertations)
Researcher’s own body and participation is present in many dissertations. (Ostrobothnian minuet, Nicaraguan dance rituals, old female dancers)
Dance pedagogy an important field (5 dissertations) Many use open interviews, questionnaires, discussions
as methods to gather information. (subjects: everyday life in dance institutions, stereotypes and motivation of amateur dancers, for example)
Finnish dance history is not very hot topic…
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Dance events in Finland in the 1800s• Touring dance companies and visiting teachers
from Sweden, Russia, Germany etc.• In the 1850s, the Bavaria-born dancer Alina
Frasa settled in Helsinki. Authors A. Kivi and Z. Topelius her admirers. “First Finnish dancer”.
• Amateurs played in tableau vivants, costume balls, charity events.
• First local dance instructors. • 1866 stylised folk dance performed on stage.• Dance part of the plays, also performed during
the intermissions. Solos, ”exotic” dances, popular dances, short ballet numbers
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Alina Frasa (c.1849) in Polish style dress. Gentlefolk in Swiss dance (Helsinki 1860s)
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Dance as independent art begins Interesting: ballet & free dance starting out at the
same time. NB! in Finland no court ballet tradition (Sweden, Russia, Denmark...)
1911 dance pioneers Maggie Gripenberg and Toivo Niskanen gave their first dance performances in Helsinki.
Frequent Russian visits from St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre in Finland 1906-1917 including stars like Anna Pavlova, Mihail Fokin
Emigrant teachers stayed for a while in Helsinki during the Russian revolution.
The Finnish National Ballet founded 1921.
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Theatre and teaching providing living• Finnish National Theatre
occupied dance teachers (Frasa, Gripenberg, Liiman) -> teaching was a ’proper’ occupation for a woman
• Dancers taught also popular dances: Argentinian tango came through Paris in Finland 1913.
• On the right: Hilma Liiman dancing tango in a Finnish movie ”Secret inheritance” 1914
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Ballet in a young nation• Full length Tchaikovsky
ballets (Swan Lake, Nutcracker etc) performed in 1920s. Early comparing Central Europe!
• Ballet saving Finnish Opera’s economy.
• First ballet masters and choreographers George Gé and Alexander Saxelin studied in Russia -> imperial tradition continued here until 1960s.
The Sleeping Beauty (1928)
Free dance Lack of creative and expressive freedom in ballet. Freeing woman’s body – emancipatory aspect. No
ballet shoes, corsets! Idea of natural moderate movements of whole body,
improvisation, harmony Isadora Duncan visited Finland 1908 Often short solo dances on classical music (Chopin,
Bach, Sibelius etc.) Based on impressions and emotions rather than
dramatic narratives. First called also plastic or rhythmic dance in Finland.
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Baroness Maggie Gripenberg (1881-1976) • Painting studies in Paris.
• Ideals from Duncan• Studied dance in
Stockholm and in Dresden with music pedagogue Jacques-Dalcroze.
• Movement in relation to music and rhythm.
• Performer in dance, theatre, opera, also abroad
• Productive choreographer• Dancers in the first Finnish
opera performances from her school.
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Close connections: dance and gymnastics• Free dance and
gymnastics similarities in Finland and in Germany: health education, harmony of mind and body, movement from the center, flow
• Several Finnish dancers studied and worked in central Europe.
• 1926 Mary Wigman, leading figures of the Ausdruckstanz, visited Helsinki.
• Right: dance evening in Swedish Theatre 1924
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Active free dance movement in 1920s and 30s Many free dance movement schools and occasional performances
No stable groups in theatres, or official support like ballet had
Union of Finnish Dance Artists (1937) included ballet and free dance
Right: Students of Marta Bröyer School in 1931
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Finnish National Ballet 1950s - Steady position.
Popularity of ballet, improvement of skills.
Closer relations with Soviet ballet: visiting stars, choreographers, pedagogues.
Opera director Alfons Almi founded International Ballet Festival (1957-1971).
Ballet tours 50s-70s:USA, South America etc
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Helsinki 1958. Ballet stars from American Ballet Theatre, Kirov, Bolshoi with Finnish colleagues.
Jazz and modern dance
• Free dance in decline after the WW II: economical reasons, isolation inside Finnish dance and from German contacts -> amateurish image.
• New influences from American modern dance: first courses in the end of 1950s
• Martha Graham's, Merce Cunningham's, Donald McKayle's and Alvin Ailey's companies performed in Finland in the 1960s.
• Jazz dance begins – popular hobby.• Need for musical dancers – communal city
theatres and their new houses, also tv employed dancers.
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Dancer-choreographer Riitta Vainio • Dynamic performer and
a spokeswoman• Studied in USA • Systematic training• School of Modern
Dance and own performing group
• Discussion ballet vs. modern dance heated up, like in 1920s
• Left: Kotka (Eagle). Televisioned 1962.
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Professionalisation of modern dance field 1970s: Dance became a full-time profession also
other than ballet dancers The Kuopio Dance Festival (1970), the oldest
and biggest dance festival in the Nordic countries, arranged for the first time.
Many new professional dance companies: Raatikko, Rollo, Mobita...
1973 The Helsinki City Theatre Dance Company (Helsinki Dance Company) hired 6 dancers and a director. Since 1965 work in musicals, plays, own performances, education within the theatre.
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Dance Theatre Raatikko 1972- Founded by
choreographer Marjo Kuusela and dancer Maria Wolska
Part of the Theatre Centre: tours in Finland, dance for children, dancers should get paid!
Leftist political attitude Breaking down the elitism
and isolationism in dance. Realist dance theatre - “real people”
Narrative, literal subjects Combining different
dance techniques
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People without power (1974)
1980s: legitimization of dance
1980 Finnish Dance Information Centre
1981 Tanssi magazine 1983 The National Council for
Dance: an official status in regards to state art policies
1983 Dance Department at the Theatre Academy
Helsinki CityTheatre choreographer Jorma Uotinen (1981-91). symbolic, abstract, visual modern dance.(left Ballet Pathetique 1989)
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’New dance’ movement in 80s
Similar to movements in Central Europe, UK Soft techniques like contact improvisation. Asian martial arts,
Japanese Butoh Zodiak Center for New Dance(1986) collective: Kirsi Monni,
Sanna Kekäläinen etc. Questioning ballet and traditional modern dance. Turning the gaze inwards.
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Contemporary dance since 1990s- 1990s: variety of orientation and techniques Return to the elaborate movement: Kenneth
Kvarnström (no-no 1996, Helsinki City Theatre) energetic, aggressive, yet sensual. Cf. 90s ”Euro crash”
Evolving collaboration between choreographers, lighting designers, scenographers, digital media
Finnish National Ballet: changes in repertory. French style and contemporary ballet instead of Russian Vaganova training.
New Opera house 1993, Uotinen as a ballet director
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Dance now• Growth of the independent field. Now about 40
dance companies. • Interesting names: Tero Saarinen, Susanna
Leinonen, Jyrki Karttunen, Eeva Muilu...• Recent features: use of speech and text, old people
and disabled as performers • New festivals: New Moon Dance Festival, URB,
Tampere Flamenco Week, Moving in November etc.• 2008: in Finland 203 premieres and about 2 400
dance performances. • 2008: Finnish dance performed abroad in
approximately 28 different countries.
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Literature on Finnish dance in English Laakkonen, Johanna 2009. Canon and Beyond.
Edvard Fazer and the Imperial Russian Ballet 1908-1910.
Scholl, Tim 2009. Guns and Roses, or, Dancing through the Cold War. Article in Ballettanz Yearbookhttp://www.ballet-tanz.de/en/jahrb-text02.html
Pakkanen & Sarje 2006. Finnish Dance Research at the Crossroads.
Kukkonen, Aino 2003. Stretch – Tanssiryhmä teatterissa. (with English summary and photo texts)
Räsänen & Hakli 1995. Suomen Kansallisbaletti tänään - Finnish National Ballet Today.
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Thank you!
If you want to make an essay in order receive 5 credits please contact:
On the right Eeva Muilu: Vermiculus (2005)
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