Sanna Ruokonen with the artist name Vapaa sana is an artist-songwriter and spoken word poet, a finalist in the 2023 Poetry Slam Finnish Championships. She performs spoken word pieces for once-broken hearts. The strong emotional charge is enhanced by Heli Raami’s touching piano compositions.
Instagram: @vapaasana.musiikki
Youtube: @Vapaasanaspokenword
Photo: Teemu Nousiainen
TaiKaTanssi is an improvisational dance group from Turku, founded in 2002 by the disability rights organization Kynnys Ry. The piece performed at DiDa, “Soft moments,” is a dialogue of the softness, hardness, and expansiveness of movements created by seven dancers. In it, things ignite and extinguish repeatedly. A narrative conflict arises when encountering cracks that try to disrupt the soft whole with confusion and hardness. However, after the effects of these opposing forces, we find our way back to the space of shared soft moments.
Choreography and exercises: Leena Ritva Koskinen, Antti Virta, Sirpa Vuorinen
Dancers: Janette And, Kristiina Heinonen, Sisko-Liisa Puranen, Kati Sillgren, Leena-Ritva Koskinen, Antti Virta, Sirpa Vuorinen
Costume: Hanna Väätäinen
Photo: Jan Ahlstedt
Kimmo Salminen, a nature photographer, brings a multimedia work Mielimaisemiani to DiDa.
“I have been photographing and filming Finnish nature for over 20 years. The time I spend in nature calms me and gives me a sense of well-being. My favorite subjects are misty mornings and frosty days. Watching animals is exciting and provides wonderful experiences. Have you ever slept 20 cm away from a sniffing bear? These are the experiences I want to share with you.”
Instagram: @suomikuvia1900
TRIO ELYSIUM will arrive to interpret the works of significant Finnish poets who suffered from tuberculosis and schizophrenia, set to the tunes of bossa nova.
Band setup:
Oiva Ristimäki – Cajon
Katriina Rainio – Violin
Aki Lappalainen – Vocals and guitar.
Kati Kallio ja Tanssiryhmä Ihanat brings the film trilogy “Generation Z” to DiDa. The trilogy diversifies our understanding of a generation by highlighting dancers who are rarely seen as representatives of their generation. In the films, the dancers are portrayed as they wish to be seen. The films use movement and non-verbal expression to explore what they dream about, who they want to be, and the unique skills they possess. There is much in the margins that does not need to fit into any externally imposed mold but can flourish in its own way. The films aim to break the stereotypical image of a dancer and offer recognizable role models for everyone, but especially for young adults like Vappu, Sofia, and Minttu. The parts of the film trilogy are Sininen (Vappu Virkkula) , MustA (Sofia Johansson) ja Pinkki (Minttu Heinonen).
Coreography, dance: Vappu Virkkula, Sofia Johansson, Minttu Heinonen
Direction, editing: Kati Kallio
Directing the dancers, dance: Riina Hannuksela, Elisa Lejeune
Videographer: Mika Ailasmäki, Kati Kallio
Costume design: Riitta Röpelinen
Makeup: Leila Mäkynen
Composition: Aarne Riikonen
Sound design, mixing: Janne Laine
Production: Kati Kallio ja Tanssiryhmä Ihanat
Photo: Arttu Salo
Facebook:
Ihanat: @tanssiryhmaihanat
Kati Kallio: @katikallioArtist
The DiDa Festival’s traditional panel discussion will be based on the recent publication Is the world ready? – Writings on art and disability by the Making Space for Artistry project. The publication highlights the wide range of art created by disabled and sign language artists. How do artists work? Where is their artistic thinking coming from right now? How did they become artists? How do they perceive the relationship between art and disability?
The discussion will include artist Hanna Väätäinen and actor Pekka Heikkinen, as well as Sari Salovaara, Leading Senior Specialist from the Culture for All service, who has long experience of promoting equality for people with disabilities in the arts and culture. The panel will be chaired by Maija Karhunen, Project Director of the Making Space for Artistry project.
The book is also available in English.
Website
PANELIST
Pekka Heikkinen is an actor born in Utajärvi in 1970. He has appeared in Finnish films and television productions, including the film Rukajärven tie and the Finnish TV series Hovimäki, Seitsemän, Harvoin tarjolla and Taivaan tulet. He has also acted and directed on theatre stages, including the Finnish National Theatre, Theatre Siperia, Kiasma Theatre and Hämeenlinna Theatre.
PANELIST
Hanna Väätäinen is a dancing clown, cartoonist, craft activist, poet and dance history teacher from Turku.
PANELIST
Sari Salovaara has a long history of promoting access to culture for people with disabilities. She is an FM by education and a cultural producer. The Culture for All service was established in the 2000s as a continuation of Salovaara’s equality work at the Finnish National Gallery. As an expert in the service, Salovaara has provided information and tools to promote accessibility, diversity and equality in cultural services for cultural workers. Salovaara is passionate about art and adventures with an assistance dog Elli.
Photo: Aura Linnapuomi
PANEL MODERATOR
Maija Karhunen has worked for Culture for All on projects promoting opportunities for disabled artists. She currently continues to work on the same issues as a freelance expert in the field of arts and culture. Maija’s background is in performing arts as a dancer and performer.
Photo: Jussi Rinta-Hoiska