08.25.07
Taiteiden Yö / Night of Arts
Helsinki: Aug. 24, 2007. Some of us dancers went window shopping for art and events on a slightly gray, but later beautiful night. We met at the main Post office, where my fellow Tango Argentino dancers had a stylish show. The only band playing Argentinian tango music that has a vocalist also performed. We then headed out for the swaying Australians; Strange Fruit. Six dancers on 4 meter plyable poles, secured by straps around their thigs and some concrete weights on the ground, swayed back and forth, closer and further away, bending themselves in strange positions, suddenly spinning, turning themselves away from eachoteher, flirting with the audience far beneath them, speeding to bend the pole enough to reach out to someone in the audience in order to hand her a flower… The statives were carefully positioned so that it was barely possible to reach the next dancer, hold on for a while and then let go, suddenly flying in the opposite direction. Three women and three men, in their tails and hoop skirts, looking like wooden dolls of some game, reached out to eachother, taking distance, holding on, pushing eachother away… just like people do in real life. It was, at the same time, hilarious and sad, and it did touch me, although the event had popularized the performance. With so few elements, restricted by their anchors, the group managed to convey a message and a feeling that was strong untill the end. I think the show was about 45 minutes, and every minute was filled with either the soothing beauty of swaying figures, or strong emotions, most of the time wrapped in slight comedy. But the Tears of a Clown…
Later, we saw a fire performance in the dark, and before that we danced to a band doing almost swing on the green in front of the Helsinki City Museum, Hakasalmen huvila. The last art stop we made was a female choir singing Finnish folk songs and modern ones in the spirit of old ones. Sadly, I had no-one to dance folk dances with, so we headed to Manala (The Underworld) to dance, and sure enough, met some dancers there. The girls/women were happy to dance with our guys, so everybody thought it was a perfect end for an artsy night out in the town. Pics will be coming…
