Helena Franzén Before I Change My Mind 22-25 October 2014

Programme

A wavering state. The moment when one can still choose many paths. Before you have to make the final decision.

Watch the clip from the Culture News on 22 October:

The title of Helena Franzén's latest work, Before I Change My Mind, refers to the time when all the choices are still in front of you. It is a quartet dance that tackles the theme of the body's breathing with great sensitivity. Helena Franzén starts from a fascination with what the body can create through its own breathing, whether it is to achieve maximum strength or to save lives.

And breathing runs like a red thread through the performance, even in the soundscape. The music consists of various wind instruments which, together with Jukka Rintamäki's unique synthesised world, create their own sound.

Helena Franzén can be recognised by her typical movement language, charged with physical challenges and explosiveness. In her works she focuses on the dancing, musical body. Anatomical structures and physical functions are recurring themes, and music has an obvious place in her choreographies.

About Helena Franzén

Helena Franzén is a graduate of the Ballet Academy and the School of Dance and Circus. She has so far created over 70 works, including for
She has created works for Skånes Dansteater, Göteborgsoperans Danskompani, and Den Kongelige Opera in Copenhagen.

Her own works include I'm Not Looking Back (2010), Trigger Point (2010) and Slipping Through My Fingers (2012) which premiered at Dansens Hus.

About the ensemble

Daniela Bendini has worked with several companies and choreographers in Europe such as Carolyn Carlson, Roberto Zappala, S. Leinonen and she has participated in choreographies by Jiri Kylian, NachoDuato, Rui Horta and Jo Strömgren. Daniela has been an assistant to Roberto Zappala for many years and has worked as a teacher for various institutions and companies. She currently works as a freelance dancer and choreographer. This is Daniela's second collaboration with Helena Franzén.

Katarina Eriksson has been a professional dancer since 1989. Katarina has worked with choreographers such as Björn Elison, Gunilla Heilborn, Lotta Melin, Örjan Andersson and Susanne Jaresand. In 1997, she formed the dance group Räserbyrån together with Per Sacklén and Håkan Mayer, which has created choreographic works and arranged "Tärrier" at Fylkingen - evenings of improvised dance, music, film and party. This is Katarina's eighth production with Helena Franzén.

Annika Hyvärinen has studied dance in Helsinki and at the Ballet Academy and School of Dance in Stockholm. Annika has been a dancer with the Tero Saarinen Company in Helsinki since 2011 and among the choreographers Annika has worked with are Cristina Caprioli, Örjan Andersson, Susanna Leinonen, Gunilla Heilborn and Malin Hellkvist Sellén. Annika has worked with Helena Franzén since 2001.

Åsa Lundvik Gustafson has been a dancer in the Cullberg Ballet between 1996 and 2014, and has also worked as a freelancer in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Martin Forsberg, Örjan Andersson and Jeanette Langert. This is Åsa's first time working with Helena Franzén and she is excited about the close collaboration with her and the rest of the group.

Anton Svanberg is a musician and composer trained at the Stockholm Academy of Music, specialising in improvisation and contemporary art music. Anton leads the group "oss från djuren" and is a permanent member of Janne's phenomenal orchestra, FestiByn and the composer collective Rädisan.

Jukka Rintämäki is a musician and composer with a long-standing collaboration with Helena Franzén. Jukka also composes music for film, games and theatre. The music in Before I Change My Mind is specially written for the performance and will also be released as an LP and digital edition on the King Disk label under the name The Lost Fast One.

Carina Gedeon is freelance lighting designer since 1988, both in Sweden and abroad. Carina works with strong visual concepts, in recent years both with light and space. She has made about 150 productions mainly in theatre, but also opera and dance for, among others, Malmö Stadsteater, Det Kongelige Teater, Göteborgs Stadsteater, Teater Tribunalen, Folkoperan, Folkteatern i Göteborg, Das Beckwerk and Åben dans.

Minna Palmqvist is costume designer, trained in clothing at the Southwest University of Applied Sciences in Turku, and at Konstfack's textile master's programme. Minna works as an artist and fashion designer with a clothing label under her own name. She has exhibited at international fashion weeks and art exhibitions. Last summer she made her debut as a costume designer in collaboration with Suzanne Osten. This is her first collaboration with Helena Franzén.

Håkan Jelk is a freelance photographer with a long history in the field of dance. Since 2011 Håkan has followed the work of choreographer Helena Franzén, documenting rehearsals, performances and residencies in Piteå, Iceland and Gnesta. During winter 2014, filming was done in Iceland and parts of this work are included in a documentary by SVT about Helena Franzén that will be shown in winter 2014/15. Håkan has also produced short films.