HS Analysis | Contemporary dance doesn't seem to be seen anywhere – Why is that?

Theater critic was so pleased with the contemporary dance he saw that he went to write a comment, which was sharply condemned as incorrect.

That was the so-called working title of this story, the hint from which the story will be written. Usually they are not introduced in stories, but let me go now.

My sin is this:

I wrote on January 25th commentwhere I combined joy Arc and Roni Martini together Atro Kahiluoto done with Blood wedding -from seeing the show to the thoughts that Ylen had left in my mind recently Culture number one– from the program's contemporary dance episode.

Because the theater field is familiar to me, I felt Culture number one the proposal presented in the discussion about utilizing the comprehensive city theater network in performing dance is great. Really, that would be a good idea, why not!

Well, you can certainly consider the ideas good and support them, but if at the same time you come to claim that contemporary dance can only be seen in the capital region, you are in a bad way.

It quickly became clear from the numerous feedbacks I received from different parts of the country. Thanks for all of them! Contemporary dance can indeed be seen in various parts of Finland, other than during dance festivals and visits.

It, why I wrote that in my column is, however, connected to a very real problem that contemporary dance as a young art form has in our country. Namely:

You can't really see the dance.

Despite the fact that there is a network of regional dance centers in Finland, which is also celebrating its birthday this year. Twenty years! That's how long this network consisting of six regional centers – Eastern, Northern, Ostrobothnian, Läntinen, Pirkanmaa and Central Finland dance centers – has existed.

The fact that the network didn't make sense to me – even though I write my work in the field of culture – raised the question:

Why aren't regional dance centers seen and heard more?

The most obvious the reason is of course money, i.e. the lack of it. For example, the funding of regional dance centers does not come “automatically” in the same way as state vos funding for art institutions within its scope, but the regional dance centers receive a three-year discretionary operating grant from the Art Promotion Center – which, however, is decided annually only at the beginning of the year.

“So, in a certain way, we always expect at the beginning of the year how much money we have for activities”, explains the executive director of the Pirkanmaa Dance Center, choreographer Maija Hoisko.

Or if the money is secured for, for example, three years, no index increases are made to the subsidy, which means that the subsidy granted in practice decreases when the costs rise.

“And of course it shows that we don't have a single full-time person in Tampere who focuses on communication.”

Second The thing that makes it “invisible” is the spaces, or rather the lack of them.

There is a lot of difference between the provincial centers here, says the executive director of the Central Finland Dance Center Mari Hautalawho currently serves as the chairman of the entire dance regional center network.

In Jyväskylä, the situation has improved when the culture house Villa Rana on Seminaarinmäki became operational in 2021.

In Tampere, the Tanssi center has its own studio space called Liikelaituri, opposite the main building of the University of Tampere. However, it is not very well known, and for example, there is not yet a performance intended for the “ordinary” dance audience for this spring.

At the end of April, a choreographer will be seen at the university's Teatterimontu Niina Rajaniemen futuristic Homeweaves– dance theater work.

Tampere, however, is likely to improve the situation, says Maija Hoisko. He is part of the steering group of the city's project, which is preparing a cultural space concept for the new Hiedanranta district. There would also be space for dancing.

Patience is required, because if realized, the facilities could be ready perhaps between 2028 and 2030.

In Tampere, of course, you can also see dance in the hall of Tanssiteatteri MD, which is part of the vos system, on Hämeenkatu.

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Would going to the theater stage be a good or bad idea?

How about then the big theaters, of which there are no less than two in Tampere. Would it be a good or bad idea to get them on stage?

“Of course, I would hope that they could also be used in dance in some way,” says Hoisko.

However, he also understands that theaters have their own pressures, for example with box office revenue.

“And when there is no carrot in state funding now to do this kind of cooperation…”

So. This is exactly the thing that Valtteri Raekallio highlighted in Kulttuuriykkösen.

Premises influence art more than one would first think.

Of course, creativity can flourish even without traditional stages, Maija Hoisko emphasizes. For example, he himself has made a dance piece to be performed inside and outside the mobile home.

“But if, as a creator, you feel that you have no access to the traditional stage, that excludes one possibility from your art.”

In addition, in the field of dance, meritocracy often takes place through traditional stages.

So, to top it off, it goes like this: no big stages, no merits, no growing public interest, no dance art developing in the best possible way. Something that even a theater person like me could easily be exposed to.

Mixed Mari Hautala and Maija Hoisko emphasize that the creators of art are of course responsible for both reaching audiences and obtaining box office revenue.

But both also hope that the municipalities would understand that, in addition to its intrinsic value, art has been proven to generate both well-being and money. And that the size of the subsidy received from the state is directly dependent on the size of the municipality's subsidy.

The fact that art is made locally, with an understanding of local people, makes it easier for municipal decision-makers to internalize the issue, Hoisko believes.

“When artists have a living relationship with the environment in which they work, I believe that politicians, who are also members of the municipality, better understand why art is made.”

From this point of view, visiting performances – which definitely have their place in the dance ecosystem – can be more difficult to “sell” both to the decision-makers and the audience.

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Change has to come from the people themselves, Mari Hautala has thought.

Framework should be fixed, the regional dance centers believe.

But it is also the case that, since the art of dance is not part of the basic education curriculum, no one can be born with dance literacy as if by “accident”.

When there is no literacy, and dance performances are not advertised with big money on the main streets of cities, it is easier for an art form to remain foreign than others – or to be stigmatized by a single “huge performance”. At the end of January, both in Helsingin Sanomat and in the afternoon newspapers was written by Florentina Holzinger Tanz– about the work, which was said to have caused viewers to faint and leave in the middle of the performance.

However, structures do not solve everything. Change has to come from the people themselves, Mari Hautala has thought.

“To recognize that dance in ourselves, or more generally the possibility of that movement. That it is not a separate matter for me.”

You could also watch the dance more relaxed without the pressure of “understanding”.

“Here's a dance for you, just look at it. Although from a wow point of view, that it does things I can't do myself, but it's wonderful.”

Read more: The whole of Finland needs more of what Jorma Uotinen and I saw at the city theater premiere