ALIEN
ALIEN is a large-scale moving and living statue. Meditative and timeless, it is a tribute to anyone who has ever felt like a stranger - an outsider – an “other”.
ALIEN is an abstract and ritualistic action that combines movement language from clubbing culture and traditional folk dance. Whether dancing alone in a club or as part of a long chain of folk dance, both dances connect the individual to a larger, collective wave of movement.
Free from traditional narratives, ALIEN is a powerful physical and visual experience. It is a testament to our human need for connection and community, and a moving reflection on longing and belonging.
ALIEN is a transformative work of art performed by various professional communities of dance around the world. The structure of the work is an ongoing organic development between the piece previously performed in other countries and the current country it is being created in.
ALIEN is created as a Big Pulse Dance Alliance coproduction, coproduced by New Baltic Dance (Lithuania) and Dublin Dance Festival (Ireland), co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
ALIEN - Kazan Russia (WORK IN PROGRESS) - 2019
Presented: Smena Gallery
Choreography: Taneli Törmä
Dancers: Nurbak Batulla, Marcel Nuriev, Anastasia Fattakhova, Maria Nurieva and Anna Korobova.
Sound Designer: Erkin Makaveev
Duration: 30min
Supported by: Dance Info Finland & Finnish Embassy of Finland in Moscow (Finnish - Russian Dance Exchange Program.)
ALIEN - Odense Denmark (Danish Premiere) - 2021
Presented: Kunstbygningen Filosoffen Gallery
Choreography: Taneli Törmä
Dancers: Louise Mochia, Tina Damborg, Sofie Hub, Cecilie Schyth Kjær, Cirkeline Dahl Bondesen, Chris-Paschal Englund Braun, Mikaël Vivien Orozco Madsen, Marie Keiser-Nielsen and Sarah Pini.
Involved in the creation process: Marlene Bonnesen, Annamaija Rolff-Petersen, and Amalie Sabrine Laudikos.
Music: Steve Reich : 'Music for 18 Musicians', Innova Recordings, GVSU New Music Ensemble, Bill Ryan. Performed with the permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Limited.
Light designer: Kenneth Danielsen
Duration: 60min
Production: Danish Arts Foundation, Odense Kommunen and Big Pulse Dance Alliance.
ALIEN - Oulu Finland (Finnish Premiere) - 2022
Presented: Culture Centre Valve
Choreography: Taneli Törmä
Dancers: Annukka Hirvonen , Milla Keskitalo, Antti-Pekka Pudas , Paula Puumalainen, Alina Sakko, Jutta Sulkala, Milla Toppi and Silja Tuovinen.
Music: Steve Reich: 'Music for 18 Musicians', Innova Recordings, GVSU New Music Ensemble, Bill Ryan. Performed with the permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Limited.
Duration: 60min
Production: JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre, Location X and Big Pulse Dance Alliance.
ALIEN - Ukmergė, Žagarė and Vilnius Lithuania (Lithuanian Premiere) - 2023
Presented: New Baltic Dance Festival
Choreography: Taneli Törmä
Composer: Esa Mattila
Dancers: Adrian Carlo Bibiano, Gabrielle Emily Aidulis, Sigita Juraškaitė, Vaiva Paukštė, Eivinas Dziena, Ema Senkuvienė, Ugnė Kavaliauskaitė and Ieva Navickaitė.
Duration: 30min
ALIEN - Dublin Ireland (Irish Premiere) - 2023
Presented: Dublin Dance Festival
Choreography: Taneli Törmä
Composer: Esa Mattila
Dancers: Laura Allis, Rima Baransi, Inez Berdychowska, Wuxun Du, Aphra Hartmann, Jiating Li, Samica Mehta,
Aoibhinn O’Dea and Kaini Zhao from the Dance Performance MA, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick.
Duration: 30min
Production: Dublin City Council, Dublin Dance Festival, Big Pulse Dance Alliance
PERFORMANCES
Smena Gallery, Kazan Russia
28th of November 2019 (Work in progress)
Birca - Bækkelund international Residency Centre for Artists, Bornholm Denmark
31th of July 2021 (Work in progress)
Kunstbygningen Filosoffen, Odense Denmark
12-20th of November 2021 (Danish Premiere)
Cultural Centre Valve, Oulu Finland
2-5th of November 2022 (Finnish Premiere)
New Baltic Dance Festival, Vilnius Lithuania
May 2023 (Lithuanian Premiere)
Dublin Dance Festival, Dublin Ireland
26-27th of May 2023 (Irish Premiere)
REVIEW
"Once again, it is proven that strangeness and otherness are essential parts of being human."
Kaleva.fi
