Svartisen

• http://www.svartisen.net/
• Choreography & performance: Ilona Jäntti & Pirjo Yli-Maunula
• Animation: Tuula Jeker
• Light design: Ainu Palmu
• Dress design: Heidi Kesti
• Sound design: Aake Otsala
• The piece contains following compositions by Terje Isungset: Fading Sun, Hibernation and Arctic (All Ice Records)
• Ice clothes: Eric Mutel
• Graphic design: Tuula Jeker, Tomi Hurskainen
• Make up: Yanski Sova
• Texts: Janne-Pekka Manninen
• Texts read by: Sampo Marjomaa and Xander Michael in svartisen.net
• Photos: Jussi Tuokkola
• Production: Flow Productions/Pirjo Yli-Maunula & JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre
• Supported by: National Council for Dance, The Arts Council of Finland, Cultural board of Oulu, Samuel Huber foundation, Ministry of Education and Culture
• In collaboration with: Culture Centre Valve &  Kulttuuripesula
• In collaboration with Oulu Music Festival in 2012
• Duration: 45 min.
• Premiere in Oulu, Culture Centre Valve, March 30, 2011

Sometimes, when you wake up, it’s difficult to distinguish between dream and waking reality right away. Svartisen is reminiscient of this in-between state where familiar surroundings appear strange and unknown. A combination of animation, dance, and acrobatics, Svartisen’s frosty, absurd world is populated by characters portrayed by Pirjo Yli-Maunula and Ilona Jäntti as well as oddly human-like, deep-frozen bathrobes. Unexpected events create gripping tension and humor, like when a threatening dream transforms into something completely else at daybreak.

“Svartisen raises and archaic smile…it is an expression of metaphysically merry dispostition – even if the sky can fall down on you at any time. Acrobat Ilona Jäntti captivates with her beauty and virtuosity…Svartisen is a feast to the senses, a rich performance which stands more than one viewing.”

Eeva Kauppinen, Newspaper Kaleva, April 2, 2011

Ilona Jäntti was born in Oulu, Finland. She studied at Cirkus Piloterna in Sweden where she specialised in aerial skills including hoop, rope, silks and trapeze. She has also trained as a dancer at Laban Centre in London. She obtained a Professional Diploma in Dance Studies in 2006 and graduated with a Masters degree in Choreography at Laban Centre in December 2008. Ilona has performed professionally since 1999 and has collaborated with a diverse range of circus, dance and theatre companies and venues, including Shakespeare’s Globe, Royal Opera House, Laban Centre, The Place, Cirque Bijou and Generating Company in Britain. Finnish collaborators include Circo Aereo, Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth, MedAndraOrd and JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre. www.ilmatila.com

Pirjo Yli-Maunula is a freelance dance artist from Oulu, Finland. She has been working as a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and producer since 1980. She has been involved in various dance festivals and organizations, including the management of Oulu Dance Studio (1982-98), has worked as Artistic Director of JoJo – Oulu Dance Center (1998-2002) and of the Full Moon Dance Festival (2003- 2006).  She has appeared in contemporary dance works of several of the most recognised Finnish choreographers and has performed widely, both in Finland and abroad.  In 2005 she was rewarded with the Oulu City Culture Award and in 2008, she was awarded by the Union of Finnish Dance Artists for her achievements in the field of dance (Tanssin Mainetekopalkinto).  She was the first recipient of the title “Artist of the Year” as selected by the city of Oulu for 2011.

Ainu Palmu is a Helsinki based lighting designer who has mostly been workingwith contemporary dance and new circus. She is curious about how austerity and sensitivity are parallel in a performance and finds light the perfect media to exhibit that parallelity since light has no materia but is simultaneously a necessity.

French-born Eric Mutel has studied the visual arts and photography in university and  professional school level in Paris, France. He is currently living and working in Finland. Mutel works as a visual artist including photography, visual art installation, video, set and stage design, lighting design, sculpture, environmental arts, and collaborates with the performing arts. Mutel tends to work more and
more on projects that bridge the visual arts with live arts or performances and provide possibilities to experiment with new technology and new media. Mutel focuses on themes like the use and perception of images, memory, body, movement, time, space, energy, tension and force.

Tuula Jeker is a Swiss-born architect currently living in Helsinki, Finland. She graduated from Oulu University’s Architecture department, but has also studied architecture in Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weissensee, RMIT in Melbourne, Australia, as well as studying industrial design in Lahti Institute of Design. Jeker has collaborated with Ilona Jäntti and Ainu Palmu on the critically acclaimed production “Muualla”, for which she created an animation.

Aake Otsala is a musician, composer, and sound designer from Rovaniemi, Finland. Currently living in Helsinki, Finland, Otsala has worked with several renowned Finnish choreographers, including Alpo Aaltokoski, Arja Raatikainen and Ervi Siren. Otsala also has a lengthy career in Finnish pop music: his discography consists of some 30 albums, including all the music published by his band Absoluuttinen Nollapiste. Otsala released a solo album in 2010, titled “Songs From A Closed Room”.

Yanski Sova is a make-up artist from Oulu, Finland, with a strong background and education in her craft. Since 1988, Sova has worked on commercials, show productions, film and photo shoots in numerous national projects, and has collaborated with redeemed photographers and performing artists. Sova has also been teaching her craft at educational institutions since 1993. Sova has previously collaborated with Yli-Maunula, for example in the following productions: Kaamos,
Double Dutch, Elegia.

JP Manninen is a Finnish journalist who lives and works in Oulu. Manninen has written about technology for the newspaper Kaleva for nearly a decade. In 2010, Manninen was based in San Francisco, CA, as a contributing writer for an American technology blog. In addition to technology, Manninen has written extensively on many subjects, including game reviews, lifestyle, entertainment, food and travel. Manninen has also written scripts for short movies and various
promotional videos.

Performance history:

March 30-April 9, 2011 Culture Centre Valve, Oulu, Finland (7)

March 1.-4. 2011 Culture Centre Valve, Oulu, Finland (5)