7 written choreographies – A Book of Dances is published on November 10th

Text: TUA
Photo: Aino Nieminen

The eighth cornerstone of the Theatre’s New Base Library is A Book of Dances edited by choreographer, performer and visual artist Anne Naukkarinen, consisting of seven written choreographies. The of the book are written Naukkarinen, Finland-based artists Laura Cemin, Mikko Niemistö and Marika Peura, and Sweden-based artists BamBam Frost, Ofelia Jarl Ortega and Pontus Pettersson. The book is co-published with Moving in November Festival. We chatted with Anne just before the release party.

Anne Naukkarinen, what was the initial spark of A Book of Dances, why did you want to make such a book? What interests you in the relationship between choreography and text?

One spark that is most clearly in my mind right now goes back to 2019, when I was working on my previous book, Kyse on kaikesta – keskusteluja ajalta 3.9.2017-31.5.2019 (About everything – conversations during 3.9.2017-31.5.2019). The book was born from my ”correspondence” of almost two years with the artists Rea-Liina Brunou, Minna-Kaisa Kallinen, Liina Kuittinen and Sara Kovamäki, where we talked about making art, everyday life and artwork. When writing the book, I was interested in what kind of work we do as artists – in addition to art – and how does art work feel as an experience?

As artists, we produce countless texts to get funding and support marketing: we justify, convince and explain. I wanted to write and read different texts, ones that would emerge from within artistic processes. In the work About everything, we had already written poetic, score-based and other experimental texts, and I felt the need to give space for such writings in my next project – texts that develop and open up in relation to the choreographic work. From the beginning, I called these texts written choreographies, and I still think this is an apt expression.

How did you choose the choreographers who wrote in the book?

Some of the artists I have known personally for a longer time, while others I have mainly known through their works and artistic thinking. I have followed the work of these artists as an audience, as a reader of their texts and publications. There has been something in everyone’s artistic thinking that has remained smoldering in my body; the more I got to know their thinking and doing, the clearer it became that I wanted them to share the space of the book with me.

What kind of reading package was created? What can readers expect?

Readers can expect to find poetic and experimental texts that make visible how dance and movement are verbalized, and what the relationship between choreography and text looks like. The works are written choreographies that unfold and develop when read, which offers the reader the opportunity to experience and interpret the movement verbally. The book also invites readers to consider what all choreography can be?

The publishing event of A Book of Dances is held at Kunsthalle Helsinki (Nervanderinkatu 3)  on Sunday November 10th at 3pm. The event is free of charge, but you need to register for it in advance.
Sign up for the publishing event here: Anne Naukkarinen: A Book of Dances – Liput | Fienta
Pre-order the book here: Anne Naukkarinen (Edited by) | A Book of Dances | PREORDER – T/U/A (tuakirjasto.fi)

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