OPIA

Johanna Nuutinen + CO

Dance Base
VOD [50 MIN]

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How does environmental stimuli guide our gaze and spatial orientation?
How do we construct images in our visual cortex out of stimuli generated by sensory organs other than the eyes?
Why do we build meanings through our gaze where there previously were none?

Choreographer Johanna Nuutinen’s new creation OPIA dives eyes first in the middle of these ever present questions relating to looking, being looked at, and how do we form meaning between things we see.

OPIA explores its topic through movement language spiralling into the world behind the gaze, perspective-questioning visual design and captivating soundscape.

JOHANNA NUUTINEN + CO

The dance production platform Johanna Nuutinen + Collaborators was formed in 2016 in order to support the work choreographer Johanna Nuutinen creates with a team of highly talented and visionary sound, light and costume designers as well as dancers and dramaturgs.  The sensing, sensitive, poetic and vulnerable, yet strong and versatile body together with bold visual worlds are at the core of all of their artistic work.

Dancer-choreographer Johanna Nuutinen  became a member of the Finnish National Ballet in 2002 and created a successful career with the company while dancing soloist parts in works by Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Jacobo Godani, Sylvie Guillem, John Neumeier and Tero Saarinen among others. In 2017 Johanna received a 3 year artist grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and in 2020 from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. At the moment she works as a freelance artist.

Her works have been presented at several film and dance festivals in Finland and abroad. Johannas´s latest works include OPIA (2021), ANON – The Act of waiting (2018) and the multidisciplinary work IRIS (2017). She has created commission works for Finnish National Ballet and West Australian Ballet.

Choreography and direction: Johanna Nuutinen
Dancers: Mia Jaatinen, Jenna Broas
Movement material: Johanna Nuutinen with dancers
Scenography: Joonas Tikkanen
Music and sound design: Tuomas Norvio
Costume design: Erika Turunen
Dramaturgical support: Jarkko Lehmus
Creative producer: Lilja Lehmuskallio
Photography: Kai Kuusisto
Direction of the film adaptation: Thomas Freundlich
Camera operators: Thomas Freundlich, Teemu Kyytinen, Mikael Kanerva
Technical support: Anssi Ruotanen, Juuso Hannukainen, Sami Tammela
Production: Johanna Nuutinen +Collaborators, Zodiak-Center for New Dance
Supporters:  Zodiak-Center for New Dance, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, City of Helsinki, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Samuel Huber Foundation
Residency support: Tero Saarinen Company, Teatermaskinen Riddarhyttan, Dance Base Edinburgh

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