This year Moving in November festival (Liikkeellä marraskuussa-festivaali) started with the premiere of Maija Hirvanen’s new creation For Those Who Have Time. The performance is the second part of Hirvanen’s trilogy Operation We. The work examines habits formed by the rhythm of contemporary life.
For Those Who Have Time affects the audience already before the audience gets to the performing space. The title of the performance addresses in a very concrete way: you are here to see the performance, this means you have time. It sounds relieving to have time…and odd. Most of the people around me are those who do not have time. They do not have time for all the things clearly listed by one of the performers in his monologue: not for this performance, not for talking to others, not for wasteful sex, not for waiting for asteroid to fall on the earth.
In Hirvanen’s work the theme of time is explored together with the theme of death. Two essential elements of human life oppose, come parallel, intertwine, divide and merge with each other in the performance. First there comes a female dancer in a black dress with long loose hair. She welcomes the audience, thanks it for coming and devotes her dance to death. The dance becomes ritual as the performer is likely trying to get in a trance rather than doing a certain set of choreographed movements. She leaves the stage the same way she shows up in the beginning – through a central gap in the black curtain.
This is the same entrance for a following male dancer with mentioned 15-minute humorous monologue about the things he doesn’t have time for. While speaking he moves his feet convulsively within a circle on the floor from a light beam. Later in such convulsive motion two performers will work in a duet seeking, allowing and avoiding the contact. But before that the audience sees another character with electric guitar hang over the shoulder and a black balloon. Is he the one of those who deals with time and death? Is he the one like those who can’t see time and death but strongly feels them passing by?
The dramaturgy of the performance develops logically and meaningfully. The dynamics stay pretty much on the same level. Sometimes it feels that the time hangs heavy and that could be a choreographic tool for the piece about time. The change happens when the curtain opens and the audience sees the spacious back of the stage full of balloons. The performers start playing with them hitting balloons towards the audience. Exciting, meditative, amusing, playful action. In the end the confusing character with the guitar plays and sings a song: “For those who have time. This song is for us. Let’s dance!”
Death…Time…Dance… Those say one experiences the present when facing love and facing death. Those say we can perceive time at a present moment only. Dance takes our mind into the awareness of the present. Do we simply face life when we dance? Indeed, let’s dance then…
Maria Prokhorova
Dancer, who tries out different ways of viewing and reviewing dance
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Maija Hirvanen: For those who have time
Choreography and direction: Maija Hirvanen
Created with and performed by: Hanna Ahti, Andrius Katinas, Jukka Tarvainen
Lighting design: Heikki Paasonen
Set and spatial design: Maija Hirvanen, Heikki Paasonen
Costume design: Jouko Korkeasaari, Ville Häkkinen
Sound design: Lauri wuolio
Song: Lets Dance composition by J. Tarvainen, Lyrics and adaptation for the performance by H. Ahti, M. Hirvanen, A. Katinas & J. Tarvainen
Lighting and sound technician: Anna Pöllänen
Photos: Aki-Pekka Sinikoski, Uupi Tirronen
Production: Zodiak – Uuden tanssin keskus, Liikkeellä marraskuussa -festivaali, Maija Hirvanen
Premiere: 27.10.2012
Read also Armanc Yildiz’s article about the same performance / Lue myös Armanc Yildizin artikkeli samasta esityksestä
