Leiblied

From 1941 to 1944, German troops were stationed in Lapland. They behaved courteously in this hospitable region and fostered harmonious relations with the locals. Things were going well in Lapland: with the Germans there, both commerce and cultural and social life picked up after the bleak war years.

Leiblied opens a window into that Lapland of decades past. As pop music plays, young women and German soldiers exchange glances that reveal a passionate anticipation of life and love. People who enjoy each other’s company don’t need a common language to have fun. Genuine friendship forms between them, and true love blossoms. Life is joyfully captivating and stable, even as battles rage elsewhere.

We know how it all ended. When the order was given, the joyful coexistence came to a dramatic end—friendship and love were ended by others.

The poetic title of Leiblied loosely translates to “song of the body.” Estonian-born choreographer Urmas Poolamets, who serves as artistic director of the Turku-based Aurinkobaletti, took on the work’s long-silenced subject matter.

Premiere: September 4, 2015, Manilla, Turku