In the new work Wind vigil, Virpi Pahkinen and her dancers journey into the hydrosphere, embodying transformations of water. Their movements may meander, as silent as snowfall or roar and flow before settling in the secretly structured, still clarity of a snow crystal.
Virpi Pahkinen and three dancers journey into the hydrosphere, embodying transformations of water. Their movements may meander, as silent as snowfall or roar and flow before settling in the secretly structured, still clarity of a snow crystal. But choreography is not only true to its theme; it leaps free, out into a spiritual space beyond words.
A collaboration with Sami artists, Wind Vigil features projections of artwork from Kristin Tårnesvik and poetry from Áillohas. We hear a broad range of multi-instrumentalist Roger Ludvigsen´s sounds, from music meditations gliding over the open landscape to electronic soundscapes and shamanistic five-beat rhythms. The piece was commissioned by Giron Sámi Teáhter and Scenkonst Sörmland.
Vindvak (Wind Vigil) in Swedish means the winding movements of water in a hole in the ice, literally woken water, while vindvaka is watching out for the power of the wind. The Sami word, suddi, also means fontanelle. Virpi Pahkinen sees the movement springing out of the diamond structure of the fontanelle on the top of a baby’s head, the crown chakra where the spirit pulsates. The Finnish word uveavanto sounds like a wraith drawing one down into the deep; unknown yet palpable. But choreography is not only true to its title; it also leaps free, out into a spiritual space beyond words. This is Virpi Pahkinens hallmark – her integrity, fine sense of humour and artistic brilliance provides the audience with dance art as a mental bath for purifying the mind and transcendence.
PRESS “The dance work Wind Vigil by Virpi Pahkinen is about water and the different forms it takes. A powerful artistic experience and an intuitive chemistry lesson combined, according to our reviewer.”“The dancers act as H2O molecules that form falling raindrops, a rushing spring flood, and a fire or a sun that warms the water turning it to steam. Wind Vigil simply embodies a magical cycle that exists within us and around us, while we are oblivious to how it works. ““The music transcends genre – traditional and ritual trance, electronic ambient with organic elements. In a highly charged sequence, Virpi Pahkinen sings live in a duet with an invisible joiking voice – possibly the most soulful thing I have ever heard. ““It is all beautiful and extremely therapeutic. A purifying bath for the mind easy to take on board even for someone who isn’t a hard-core dance fan.”Ekuriren Carina Nitz
“Enchanted frost flowers. Virpi Pahkinen’s Wind Vigil is a swirling study in ice “
“There are several beautiful solos, and a typical physically humorous synchronised sequence in which the palms and the soles of the feet of all the dancers form perplexing sculptures. The strongest impression is made by a group on stage where the dancers are intertwines with projected art works by Kristin Tårnesvik. Her undulating figures, line-drawn in patterns similar to guilloché, grow across their bodies like enchanted frost flowers.”
“And I know that this is not the first time that Virpi Pahkinen herself has sung in a work but having never heard her before, I was astonished. Wordless song, like the rare note of a flute or birdsong rising over the landscape”
Dagens Nyheter Maina Arvas
CHOREOGRAPHY Virpi Pahkinen
DANCERS Virpi Pahkinen, Victor Persson, Sofia Sangregorio, Pontus Sundset
COMPOSITION Roger Ludvigsen
COSTUME DESIGN Virpi Pahkinen
ART Kristin Tårnevik
SOUND DESIGN Jukka Rintamäki
ICE SOUNDS Jonna Jinton
LIGHT DESIGN Niklas Glahns
VIDEO DESIGN Johannes Ferm Winkler
COSTUME TAILORING Skrädderikompaniet LiLaRo
PRODUCER Yvonne Granath /Scenkonst Sörmland & Sebastian Björkman/Giron Sámi Teáhter
PRODUCER VPDC Gita Mallik
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Maria Weisby/ Scenkonst Sörmland &
Åsa Simma/ Giron Sámi Teáhter
PHOTOS Mattias Lindbäck
Produced by Scenkonst Sörmland and Giron Sámi Teáhter in collaboration with Virpi Pahkinen Dance Company.
CONTACT Gita Mallik manager/producer +46 73 442 88 44 | gita@pahkinen.com
BIOGRAPHY “When you reach the deepest state of the dance you are beyond words. The body turns into a question mark and dives into the unknown to be in dialogue with the universe” Virpi Pahkinen“
The works of Swedish/Finnish choreographer and dancer Virpi are full of secrets. Onstage, she sometimes bodies a spiritual warrior, a spectral gardener, or a shaman in metamorphosis. Pahkinen is well known for her stunningly chiseled shapes and almost otherworldly moves that act like an incantation – creating a mysterious, meditative atmosphere.
Pahkinen’s work has been performed to critical acclaim in over 70 cities in over 45 countries around the world. Other than being commissioned by several companies such as Ballet Poznanski, Vietnamese National Opera Ballet, North 59° and Finnish National Opera Ballet, Pahkinen’s dance pieces have been staged on a vast list of venues – Mongolian steppes, opera stages, and floating bridges to name a few. Among her many collaborators transcending the artistic borders are the famous theatre director Ingmar Bergman, and the world-renowned clarinetist Martin Fröst.
In 2011 Pahkinen was awarded the Swedish royal medal Litteris et Artibus, for her outstanding artistic contributions as a dancer and choreographer. She was also awarded the City of Stockholm’s Cullberg Prize in 2014. The magic of Virpi Pahkinen’s expression lies in the intense presence and interpersonal connection with audiences all over the world. With humour and gravity, Virpi Pahkinen’s choreographies offer to lead the way to new, deeper insights.”
