by 
“Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must scream.”
A piece for two dancers and two children, this work by Pirjo Yli-Maunula and Titta Court takes
on the subject of silence, muteness. [mute] looks at how we avoid conflict by acting as if
nothing’s wrong, but it’s a fragile equilibrium that comes at a cost. [mute] is also about shame, of
losing one’s face and of the threat of the unknown. To not speak is to hide one’s emotions. The
silence of [mute] is akin to living under the shadow of an active volcano and behaving as if
nothing will ever happen–deep inside you know the destruction is a matter of when, not if.
[mute] is performed by two performers on stage every night. The cast rotates from one performance to the next. Structurally the piece is the same from one pair of performers to the next, but each performer brings their own personality, movement and expression to it.
The creators of [mute] handle their subject matter with characteristic dark humor, surrealism and
absurdity. Daring to take risks on stage and being truthful are absolute cornerstones of [mute]
and these are prerequisites to both the adults and the child performers.
“Children are wise”, says dancer-choreographer, artist professor Pirjo Yli-Maunula. “Adults
confront new experiences by leaning on existing behavior patterns, or pre-existing ideas they
have. Children have a much more direct connection to things that’s subconscious, non-rational.”
The old proverb “silence is golden” rings very awkward and highly ironic in the world of [mute].
”On the stage, the open and good-natured child meets a damaged and reckless adult whose actions are strange, unpredictable and questionable. — [mute] is a deeply thought, dense and very beautiful performance.” – Eeva Kauppinen, Teatteri & Tanssi + Sirkus
”It is consoling to watch a performance that does not offer a single truth, allowing the viewer to read the rich variety of different narrative signals instead.” – Petri Kauppinen, Kaleva
Duration: 40 minutes
Choreography: Titta Court & Pirjo Yli-Maunula
Dancer: Titta Court / Pirjo Yli-Maunula
Child dancer: Pinja Palosaari / Marona Awdishou
Light design: Jukka Huitila
Composers: Aake Otsala ja George Bandoek Apostolakis
Sound director: Aake Otsala
Dress and set design: Heidi Kesti
Promotion photos: Pekka Mäkinen
Promotion text and making of -photos: Janne-Pekka Manninen
Production: Flow Productions / Pirjo Yli-Maunula & Titta Court
Support: Taike, Oulun city, Majaoja foundation, Taike Lapland
Performance history:
Fri 3.11. General rehearsal, Culture Centre Valve ( dancers: Pirjo & Pinja)
Sat 4.11. PREMIERECulture Centre Valve (dancers: Titta & Marona)
Sun 5.11. Culture Centre Valve (dancers: Pirjo & Pinja)
Tue 7.11. Culture Centre Valve (dancers: Pirjo & Marona)
Wed 8.11. Culture Centre Valve (dancers:Titta & Pinja)
Thur 9.11. Culture Centre Valve (dancers: Pirjo & Marona)
Fri 10.11. Culture Centre Valve (dancers: Titta & Pinja)
Wed 25.7. at 18:30 Full Moon Dance festival, Central School, Pyhäjärvi, Finland
Coming up:
April 2-3, 2019, Zodiak – New Dance Centre, STOA, Helsinki
