Muumimuistelua Osa 4. Fukuoka Asian Art Museum

Kuvat: Anne Virta

Tanssivaa Muumilaaksoa tehdessä kävi usein mielessä, hukkaisiko näyttämöteos osan potentiaalistaan, jos se jättäisi hyödyntämättä hahmojen ja katsojien fyysistä kontaktia ja tyytyisi pitämään Muumit yksinomaan näyttämöllä. Oli selvää alusta asti, että operoimme hahmoilla, jotka tunnettiin hyvin, joita rakastettiin ja haluttiin koskettaa.

Sitten, puoli vuotta ennen ensi-iltaa Tanssiva Muumilaakso kutsuttiin osallistumaan Japanin Fukuokassa heinä-elokuussa 2009 järjestettyyn, Suomea ja Tove Janssonin työtä esittelevän lastenkulttuuri- ja mediakasvatustapahtumaan. Kutsun työryhmälle esitti tapahtuman järjestävä taho, Community of the Culture with and for Children /NPO yhdessä Fukuoka Asian Art Museumin kanssa.

Tapahtumassa järjestetyt liiketyöpajat ja yksittäiset kohtaamiset lasten kanssa vahvistivat sitä ajatusta, että Tanssivaa Muumilaaksoa tuli sekä viedä eteenpäin nimenomaan kohderyhmän, lapsien ja perheiden kanssa, että myös tuottaa itse näyttämöteoksen rinnalla kohtaamisen ja mukana tekemisen mahdollistava pikkusisarteos.

Vierailumme Asian Art Museumissa aloittivat Tampereen Taidemuseon Muumilaakson Tove Janssonin alkuperäiskuvitusten Digigrafie-näyttely, säveltäjä Heikki Mäenpään Musical Landscapes from Moominvalley -konsertit ja Tampereen Taidemuseon Muumilaakson Elina Boneliuksen Muumi-luento.

Oma liikkeellinen näkökulmani yleisötyöpajoissa oli tutkia tanssija Suvi Elorannan kanssa, antoiko satuhahmojen käyttäminen ja intertekstualisuus meille uutta perspektiiviä lähestyä omaa liikekieltä. Mietimme, miten fiktiiviset hahmot saadaan omanlaisikseen.

Ja toisaalta, miten vuorovaikutus toimii yleisön ja fiktiivisten liikkeellisesti etäännytettyjen hahmojen välillä, silloin kun ei toimita mimiikan ja maskottisuuden kanssa. Ja lopuksi, millaista asento-, liike- ja tasapainoaistien soveltamista ja kehollisen oivaltamisen iloa yhdessä tanssiminen voi tuottaa sekä esiintyjälle että yleisölle.

Kurkistuksia Tanssivaan Muumilaaksoon on tulossa ensimmäistä kertaa nyt myös Tanssiteatteri MD:n kotinäyttämölle syksyllä 2020. Nähdään.

On the Road Part 3: How did it begin?

Hallo again.

Did you know that Dancing Moominvalley is a part of the project ”Dancing Moominvalley, Shanghai Expo Moomin Cluster” featured in the Finnish cultural program at EXPO 2010?

Dancing Moominvalley is also included in the ”Cultural Bridges 2010” cultural export plan.



But you might still be wondering how did all this actually begin?

Well. Lets have a look at Dance Theatre MD's website:

"Based on the book ”Tales from Moominvalley” by Tove Jansson, The Dancing Moominvalley is a family dance adventure that begins with Snufkin’s search for his missing spring tune. The versatile Dancing Moominvalley ensemble leads the audience into a magical place of searching, learning and life’s little and big wonders.

We meet Fillyjonk who stops being afraid of accidents and learns how to laugh at herself.

Featuring a compelling musical score by Heikki Mäenpää.
And it all ends with another big Moomin celebration.
But has Ninny turned visible, and what kind of adventures did Moomintroll get into?

So, what are you waiting for, come along!"



Sounds exciting. But how does it actually start? Dancing Moominvalley.

Well.

We do start with the Scene 1: The Spring Tune


First we hear Snufkin’s Theme.

Snufkin is working on a new melody.

Wants to be alone.

Meets an enthusiastic, anonymous little bug.

Loses the melody and gets angry with the bug.

Names the bug: Ti-ti-oo.

Feels bad after chasing the bug away.

Travels on, looking for Ti-ti-oo.

Misses Moomintroll, too.

Decides to head for Moominvalley.

Comes up with the Spring Tune.


We might also hear the soundscape (quotes by Tove Jansson):

In the forest.

”On a windless, cloudless evening in late April . . .” ”. . . the cries of migrating birds . . .” The stream’s ripple. ”. . . it danced . . . went headfirst into a little waterfall . . . was singing in the major key like a mosquito and every now and then tried to look big and intimidating.” ”Suddenly a rock came off the dam and changed the pitch of the water by an octave.”

The treetops, and the wind going through them. The sigh of leaves.

We hear a variation of the theme.

We see Moomintroll appearing in another place at the same time (looking for his friend).

*****

That is how it all got started.

We got started while looking for the Spring Tune.


But that was only a start.


Samuli Roininen, Dancer-choreographer, Dance Theatre MD

On the Road Part 2: Spinning Greetings

Photo: Samuli Roininen, Copyrights: Moomin Characters Ltd


Hi there,

About the media. YLE. What is that all about?

"The Finnish Broadcasting Company almost always referred to by its abbreviation "YLE", is Finland's national broadcasting company, founded in 1926.

YLE is a public-broadcasting organization which shares many of its characteristics with its British counterpart, the BBC, on which it was largely modelled. It is known as the "Finnish Broadcasting Corporation" in English. It employs around 3,200 people in Finland."

(Wikipedia)

Thus, YLE.fi offers news also for the English speaking audience.

Last week they released a piece of news on the Dancing Moominvalley with the headline:

"Moomins Spin into World of Modern Dance"

We liked alot the idea of spinning. Its dynamics. The energy.

Want to read more about it?

The Moomins take to the modern dance stage.



The popular Moomin characters are entering the world of contemporary dance. The characters, who were the brainchild of Finnish author and illustrator Tove Jansson, are taking to the modern dance stage for the first time on Thursday.

The Tampere dance group Mobita-Dansco will premiere the show Tanssiva Muumilaakso (Dancing Moominvalley) on Thursday. The performance will also be held in Shanghai at the World's Fair.

The beloved Moomins have been seen in animated series, theatre and musical performances and comics. They have also been branded on cards, toys and dishware. In spite of their far-reaching popularity, choreographer Samuli Roininen says he believes bringing the Moomins into the world of modern dance can teach audiences something new and substantial about the creatures.

"The Moominvalley characters are quite the dancers in Jansson's texts and illustrations. That provides us with such delectable dance parts," he says.

Roininen says he thinks the routine will appeal to adults and children alike.

The modern dance performance is based on Jansson's book "Tales from Moominvalley". The music was composed by Heikki Mäenpää.

Jansson’s 13 Moomin novels and thousands of Moomin cartoons have been translated into 40 languages.

(YLE published Wed Apr 7 07:28 PM, updated Wed 08:52 PM)




Thus, the spinning greetings from Tampere, Finland.

Welcome to the Hällä-Stage.



Samuli Roininen, Choreographer, Dance Theatre MD

On the Road Part 1: EXPO2010

Photos: Samuli Roininen, Copyrights: Moomin Characters Ltd

Hallo.

Good news.

Dancing Moominvalley will be introduced in China with two nights at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai in the coming August.

What is the Expo2010 all about?

"World EXPO 2010 Shanghai China will be held from May 1 to October 31, 2010 and last 184 days. The estimated number of visitors is 70 million, including about 5.5 million foreign visitors. EXPO aims to attract some 200 countries and international organizations as exhibitors. The scale of this event will be the largest in the history of EXPOs. The venue covers over 320 hectares in the heart of the Shanghai metropolis.

The main theme is Better city, better life. "

Better life(...)

I think one of the main themes in Toves work has always been how to find out the way to live a rich individual life, together with the other people. How to find your own face, or rather, your own way, I would say, and still respect the others. So. This seems to be a perfect day to start a brand new story line in this blog:

On the Road.

We will follow the Dancing Moominvalley / EXPO 2010 -project from the start. That is the Dancing Moominvalley Finnish premiere on the 8th of April 2010. From there we follow the preparations and take the blog with us to Shanghai and to the tour elsewhere abroad and in Finland.

I am happy to invite you with us. To the Dancing Moominvalley.

*****

FINLAND AT EXPO 2010 IN SHANGHAI.

READ MORE ABOUT IT: http://www.finlandatexpo2010.fi

Samuli Roininen, Choreographer, Dance Theatre MD, Finland

A peek into the upcoming piece

Here is the trailer for Dancing Moominvalley.

Enjoy!