PREMIER 24.4.2026 HELSINKI Kanneltalo
Gallinago Gallinago
—A corporeal concerto for dancing voice, double bass, and electronics—
The Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a kind of mythical bird, whose rattling call brings good luck in the evenings, but at night is said to be a harbinger of death. It is a soul-bird, especially for old women. Within the snipe lives the soul of a gambler who has cheated death; one who, unable to enter Heaven or Hell, is doomed to forever soar between worlds.
“We, the insignificant gray rattlers, wade through life trying to escape our inevitable end. We fear death so much that we dare not live. We fear life, because it reminds us too much of death.”
The musical backbone of the work is created by a dialogue between the human voice, double bass, and electronics. Visuals and fashion design—strongly inspired by folklore—create a unique performance universe, whose core is a dark, archaic-avant-garde sound world. The performative narrative is shaped by the synthesis of movement and the human voice, where dance merges with breathing, singing power, rustic ethnic tones, and spoken word. The creators draw from both folk traditions and 1970s New York loft jazz. The multilingual texts are closer to post-pop poetry than to traditional song lyrics.
A beautiful and macabre concerto for all of us poor souls who have lost our power, who have exchanged our shamans for pop stars.
Performer Reetta-Kaisa Iles: vocals, dance, choreography, composition, text
Performer Ville Rauhala: double bass, composition, sound design, text
Performer Janne Teivainen: lighting and video design, sound design, text
Antrea Kantakoski: costume/fashion design
Harri Kuorelahti: concept mentoring / tour production
Mortti Saarnia: photography
International booking
Harri Kuorelahti
kuorelahti.harri@gmail.com
+358407027399
