S T R E A M

S T R E A M is a scene-less, plotless return to the body in the information age. This contemporary dance piece, featuring five dancers, uses real-time video footage—now a familiar part of everyday life—to bring the details of dance closer than ever before. The camera captures details in the midst of movement that are invisible to the naked eye—from a single drop of sweat to a slight touch. Amid the fluid movements of this skilled group, a parallel world of fleeting moments is revealed.

This work, which creates a parallel world for itself through a live stream, is a snapshot of humanity in a world where technology has replaced the spoken word in everyday life. Using the tools of video art and contemporary dance, the work seeks to offer an opportunity to experience the flood of information as an aesthetic experience—forming a connection between the natural and the virtual.

“This is a movement-focused dance piece for five dancers. Sweaty, unadorned, and without a narrative. The performers are experienced dance professionals—the piece demands a wide range of skills from them, particularly an understanding of momentum, distance, and timing within the group’s interactions. The only scenographic element is a video projection that shows the stage action in real time from different angles and distances.

I hope the piece is equally suitable for both those seeing contemporary dance for the first time and those who have long been immersed in the art form. For me personally, there is no specific message or background to be deduced, understood, or realized in the piece. I believe the piece can be appreciated simply through the composition, spectacle, and skill of the movement. Personally, however, I hope it will be, first and foremost, an experience that lulls the viewer into the movement—as soothing as a natural landscape or an abstract painting.”

– Iiro Näkki, choreographer

Performance in Rovaniemi 18.9.2021