Kati Korosuo created a festival for instant choreography
"I’m super excited that the performances will happen in totally different locations: In a sauna, in a kitchen, on stage and in a club”, says Korosuo.
Kati Korosuo, a dance artist, is pleased with the variety of experiences and approaches she comes across in her profession. Having studied in Turku, Philadelphia and Stockholm and graduated with a Master’s degree as a dancer in 2011 in Helsinki, Korosuo developed Dances to a Beat, a dance technique and a tool for instant choreography, in 2013. The technique is based on improvisation, repetition and rhythm. She has taught it around the world, from Israel to USA, to students and amateurs, professional dancers for example at Ivo Dimchev’s studio in Brussels and in Tanzhaus Zürich, in children’s homes in Guatemala, to asylum seekers and disability support workers.
©Uupi Tirronen
“The more extensively I delve into the Dances to a Beat practice, the more it feels essential. Everyone is capable of learning the technique but it challenges even the most experienced of dancers. Everyone’s emotional and bodily history is an equal starting point for dancing. This can result in an unravelling of any value judgement about movements and of social hierarchies.”
The interest in performer-centred, instant choreography and dramaturgy led Korosuo to found the Festival of Instant Choreography in 2017. “It’s brilliant that we’ve gained a new forum for instant choreography in Helsinki. The festival will enable us to think laterally and to promote transparency, equality and connection with each other. “
In 2018, the second Festival of Instant Choreography will be a one day event happening on 28th of April in performance venue Pluckhouse and its neighbourhood. The program consists of four individual performances by media artist Markus Renvall, dance artist Riina Hannuksela, artistic collective Household Dance Protocol and Energpriests.
“We thought a lot about how to create a program that encourages the audience to participate and socialize more in the festival context. That’s why I’m super excited that the performances will happen in totally different locations: In a sauna built between Architecture and Design museums of Helsinki, in Pluckhouse’s kitchen, on the stage and in the club”, says Korosuo.
The full program of the Festival of Instant Chorepgraphy will be published on 5th of April at www.hoyhentamo.fi
A potrait of Kati Korosuo has been published on Finnish Dance in Focus magazine 2017-2018. The text written by Maija Karhunen.
