tender
hellänä - tender is a dance performance that stretches the boundaries of reality and weaves together movement, sound, and futuristic aesthetics to explore aging queer and trans peoples' esxperiences of care. The lived histories of different generations – knowledge of touch, closeness, and relationships – take bodily form on stage through dance and music as gestures of care and intimate everyday acts.
hellänä - tender brings to light dreamt realities and relationships: platonic, siblinglike, and even romantic. It presents care both as utopian visoin and tender encounters, as well as the challenging mometns of everyday life–when one is tired, in conflict, drifting apart, breaking up, and finding one another again. The piece invites the audience to consider how care can be personal, political, and collective at once.
The work is the culmination of the Sateenkaarisukupolvet (Queer Generations), a community-art project (2023-2026), in which queer seniors perform and take part in different aspect of the creative process. The project builds community and sense of belonging for queer and trans seniors through art workshops and art-based home visits. In addition, it hosts a variety of events that support intergenerational encounters.
Working Group
Direction & choreography: Eevi Tolvanen
Artistic dialogue & production: Riikka Lakea
Performers: Queer Generations performance group
Scenography & styling: Una Auri
Sound design: Nori Kin
Production: Mad House Helsinki & Reality Research Center
Supporters: City of Helsinki, Arts Promotion Center Finland & Reality Research Center
Photo: Val Nevalainen
