50 years old | Dance took Susanna Leinonen with her early on – “It’s my way to comment on things that amaze, amaze or infuriate”

“Dance is my way of commenting on things that are amazing, astounding or outrageous, ”describes Susanna Leinonen.

In recent years, things that have come as a surprise to her have included attacks and restrictions on a woman’s body. The series that formed the trilogy began with a dance piece Nasty (2018), and the second part was Toxic (2019). Last part Body (2021) was Susanna Leinonen Company’s 20th anniversary work.

His first own choreography No one, just your friends (2002) Leinonen did the same year when she graduated with a master’s degree in dance from the Theater Academy. The debut work was immediately invited to international festivals. The following year, Leinonen founded his own dance group.

Could imagine that there is accurate career planning behind agile career development.

“I haven’t actually planned anything at the beginning of my career,” says Leinonen. “But in retrospect, everything falls into place.”

The actual catalyst of the dance, though, is a bit of a mystery to him himself.

“I sometimes asked my mother why she put me in ballet classes when she was nine years old. Mom said the idea was mine. I don’t know where it came from, I didn’t have anyone I knew who was into dancing, and I don’t remember seeing a ballet performance at that age. ”

According to Leinonen, dance has raised him. In high school, he danced Elwa Molinin school champion class and trained five to six days a week. The weekends were spent practicing different dance techniques.

“I didn’t have an actual puberty. My mother has said that I was always so tired after the dance lessons that I couldn’t bear to rebel. We lived in Tampere on a steep hill, and I remember how I always looked after a long day that I should still be able to cry, ”Leinonen says and laughs.

Dancing totally took me away because it was so wonderful.

I dance in addition, young Leinonen was fascinated by Australia. He wanted to be an exchange student there. He was allowed to leave Australia after ninth grade on the condition that he would then complete high school with dignity.

When Leinonen returned to Sydney after high school to complete her dance technique studies, she faced her first injury.

“The big toe extender tore, and I had such a major operation that I had to wonder if I could still become a dancer.”

Since then, the body has taken more blows that require surgery. One of them was almost fatal. The accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid, which had been warned of by headaches and leg failure, was last cut in 2008.

“It reminded me of the limitations of everything.”

OmanLeinonen started developing his business language, flowing and playing with opposites, early on.

“When I was studying at the Turku Conservatory’s dance line in the early 1990s, I had started doing my own choreographic experiments.”

During his studies, Leinonen was already attached to the Estonian National Ballet in 1994–1995. That, too, is one piece that has fallen into place in his career.

“The year had a big impact on the development of my own business language. The leg injury in Australia was severe for dancing with toe slippers. It became a need to study how to dance to the maximum, but with as little energy as possible. ”

Leinonen ran his own group alone until 2008, producing and designing productions. He had previous production experience, as in addition to his theater studies, he had worked as a producer at the Art Goes Kapakka Festival in the late 1990s.

Thanks to Cafe Engel, where he worked as a waitress, for snapping this career piece into place.

“I got the idea to organize stage dances in Engel’s courtyard. I taught the basics of waltz and hump in the stage bags. It was to produce my school. ”

Leinonen has collaborated a lot with the musician Kasperi Laine and costume designer Sari Nuttusen with. The collaboration is “extremely inspiring”.

However, at the rate of at least one new work per year, the choreographer does not have unnecessary time to feel.

“Once one work is done, you should already know what the next one is saying for marketing purposes.”

A work with Nuttunen and Laine is currently being completed Roots. Alongside the professional dancers, seniors selected from the workshops dance there. The work is part of the City of Helsinki’s project to promote culture and sports for the elderly. It will premiere on March 5 in Stoa.