TASK BASED GAMES, QUEERING SUPERHEREOS, MAKING FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
LAB: 14 September | 10 – 16h
&
15 September | 10 – 13h
PERFORMANCE: 16 September
11h School Performance
17h Public Performance
Riiviöt is a Finland-based international dance collective, founded by Eevi Kinnunen and Tasha Hess-Neustadt together with producer Lisa Kalkowski, and joined by a constellation of artistic collaborators. The name Riiviöt comes from the Finnish word meaning rascals. For our collective, the term speaks of disrupting existing systems through playful action, of youth-driven agency and autonomy, and of sparking transformation through imagination. Riiviöt creates contemporary dance works for young and adult audiences from queer perspectives.
FLIGHT LAB
LAB: 14 September | 10 – 16h & 15 September | 10 – 13h
Engaging our imagination, we dive into our own superhero characters, exploring and expressing our inner plurality. By queering the concept of the superhero, we investigate what the superhero body and its movements can mean for each of us. We will look for possibilities of empowerment, play, curiosity and discovery through the superhero and its encounters with others. We will also share elements of our partnering practice, centering agency and consent. We will be opening up and expanding material from the piece with the aim of flying together. Finally, we take a conceptual journey into our broader ideas and research on “queering children’s dance.”
SUPER WE, SUPER ME
PERFORMANCE: 16 September
11h School Performance
17h Public Performance
What kind of superheroes do we need today? What could superheroes accomplish if they joined forces? And what would your own superpower be?
We’re flying to another galaxy: Two superheroes, Elastrix and Stromax are adventuring on a distant planet. They each have the task of taking care of their magical home, but they seem to have opposing superpowers. So what happens when they meet?
In a colorful fantasy world, the two characters learn that together they can fly higher than ever before – and that they were not that different after all!
Super We, Super Me by Riiviöt is a contemporary dance production for young audiences aged 5+. The work invites children and audiences of all ages to discover their own superpowers, to imaginatively explore their surroundings, and to encounter fellow superheroes around them!
Created through the lens of “Queering the Superhero,” the work challenges prevailing notions of strength and power that children grow up with, and brings multifaceted, queer, and non-binary identities to the stage.
Concept, choreography, performance, production: Eevi Kinnunen & Tasha Hess-Neustadt
Stage & costume design: Katri Saloniemi & Helene Scheithe
Sound design: Gil Schneider
Riiviöt Producer: Lisa Kalkowski
Dramaturgical support: Canan Erek
Production Management: Falk Grever (2022)
Produced by: Riiviöt Ry
Co-production: Offensive Tanz für junges Publikum Berlin as part of the RAUSGEHEN project, funded by TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund
Funded by: Culture Moves Europe (European Union & Goethe Institute), TelepART Suomen Saksan-instituutti
Residency support from: Villa Lill Kallvik Helsinki, Live Arts Society Helsinki, C o r d i l l e r a Raum für Körper und Utopien Berlin, Katapult Berlin