PRACTICE OF PERFORMANCE

In Vera Nevanlinna’s workshop, we familiarize ourselves with American choreographer Deborah Hay’s “Practice of performance” and choreographic structures. We will learn a score and perform it to each other.  In the workshop, you dance by listening to your own cellular body through various questions. The questions prompt the dancer to find an alert and present way of creating both movement and choreography in relation to the whole environment – space, other dancers and the (imaginary) audience. 

Nevanlinna is one of the very few, who are permitted to give workshops based on Deborah Hays practice. She's been giving these workshops in Montclair State University New Jersey, University of California Berkeley, University of California Los Angeles, University of the Arts Helsinki, Henry Jurriens Foundation Amsterdam, Zodiak – Center for New Dance Helsinki, Tanssille ry Helsinki, Riveria Outokumpu, Tanssivintti Helsinki, Tanssila Helsinki, Kartoitus-festival Helsinki, Virgiinia Helsinki. 

Vera Nevanlinna has worked regularly with Deborah Hay since the year 2007 in five different productions: News (2007), If I Sing to You (2009), Lightening (2010), Figure a Sea (2015), Animals on the Beach (2018). Since 2015, Nevanlinna has also been a guest dancer at Cullberg in Deborah Hay’s choreography Figure a Sea. It has been touring widely in Europe, America and Middle East 2015-2021.

Photo by Päivi Vanhatalo

Vera Nevanlinna has had a long and distinguished career as a dance artist, working in the dance field since 1998. Nevanlinna studied at Helsinki Dance Institute and Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts in Helsinki, Finland, from where she graduated in 1998 with a M.A. in Dance Studies. Since then she has been performing in the works of numerous domestic and international choreographers such as Deborah Hay, Eeva Muilu, ChameckiLerner, Miguel Gutierrez, Kirsi Monni, Janne-Camilla Lyster, Mart Kangro, Thomas Lehmen, Ervi Sirén and performed all over the world. In addition, she has made choreography and several multidisciplinary collaborations with artists from various fields. Her latest collaboration was with photographer Elina Brotherus in Règle du jeu: Carte Blanche PMU (Centre Pompidou, Paris) and Playground (Serlachius Museums, Finland).