DanceWriteNow

17.4. at 19 | 15.5. at 19
Forum Box, Ruoholahdenranta 3 A

In a time when economism and austerity suppress art and artistic practices, tending to our art and our inner poetry becomes an act of resistance. DanceWriteNow is a practice based project that explores written poetry that emerges from the dancing body. The practice aims to generate movement and writing from a heightened and receptive stream of consciousness state.

The performances take place in a gallery space, the walls covered with paper where the writings take shape. The performers dance and write, while a music soundscape fills up the room. The audience can come in and out of the performance space and interact with the performance, dancing to the music, reading the walls and writing themselves on notebooks and papers available in the space. 

The first tryout took place on February 20, at the Harju ruumishuone. We present the next two tryouts in Forum Box gallery on 17.4 and 15.5. We aim to premiere this project in the early autumn 2026.

Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Performers: Giorgio Convertito, Kati Korosuo, Aarni Korpela, Minja Mertanen and Juha Sääski
Tickets: From the door, your choice of 5€/10€/15€, cash or MobilePay

Basic course:

Dances to a Beat (DTB)

Dances to a Beat (DTB) is a method for creating instant choreography and for practicing dance. The fundamental elements of DTB are improvisation, repetition, and rhythm: in short, the idea is to repeat improvised movements to the beat of the music. The method develops many kinesthetic skills, including movement precision, articulated musicality, as well as diverse expressiveness and creativity. It challenges practitioners to stay in the moment, to refrain from judging themselves and their choices, and to trust the intuitive knowledge built into their bodies. As a method that dismantles hierarchies, practicing DTB helps to understand and appreciate the significance of the individual as part of a whole, and conversely, it allows seeing the whole as the sum of its individual parts and contributors. In DTB, we dance to a wide variety of music, are seen while dancing, and also engage in discussions. Through assigned tasks, each participant gets to dive deeper into what interests them in dance and what brings them pleasure. More information about the method can be found at www.dancestoabeat.com.

When: Fri 10.4. at 17:30-20:30

Where: Villa Lill Kallvik, Juhannusruusunkuja 5, 00990 Helsinki

Who is the workshop for: Anyone!

Price: 30 €

Teacher: The developer of the Dances to a Beat (DTB) method, dance artist Kati Korosuo, www.katikorosuo.com

Registrations: kati.korosuo(at)gmail.com

Instructor training:

Dances to a Beat (DTB)

In this two weekend course, you will gain the basic skills needed to teach and lead the Dances to a Beat (DTB) method.

The course starts with an open DTB basic course and continues with a focus on teaching and group facilitation themes. Participants will also work independently and practice teaching through practical exercises. The course is led by the developer of the Dances to a Beat (DTB) method, dance artist Kati Korosuo, www.katikorosuo.com

Please indicate when registering why you are interested in attending the course and what kind of groups you work with or how you would like to use the DTB method in the future. Also, let us know if you belong to any discount group. The course is for a maximum of eight people.

Dances to a Beat (DTB) is a method for creating instant choreography and for practicing dance. The fundamental elements of DTB are improvisation, repetition, and rhythm: in short, the idea is to repeat improvised movements to the beat of the music. The method develops many kinesthetic skills, including movement precision, articulated musicality, as well as diverse expressiveness and creativity. It challenges practitioners to stay in the moment, to refrain from judging themselves and their choices, and to trust the intuitive knowledge built into their bodies. As a method that dismantles hierarchies, practicing DTB helps to understand and appreciate the significance of the individual as part of a whole, and conversely, it allows seeing the whole as the sum of its individual parts and contributors. In DTB, we dance to a wide variety of music, are seen while dancing, and also engage in discussions. Through assigned tasks, each participant gets to dive deeper into what interests them in dance and what brings them pleasure. More information about the method can be found at www.dancestoabeat.com.

When: 10.-12.4. & 25.-26.4.2026

Fri 10.4. 17:30-20:30
Sat 11.4. 10-16
Sun 12.4. 10-16
Sat 25.4. 10-16
Sun 26.4. 10-16

Where: Villa Lill Kallvik, Juhannusruusunkuja 5, 00990 Helsinki

Who is the workshop for: To professionals in performing arts and professionals in pedagogy

Price: 340 €/170 € (discount groups)

Registrations and further information: kati.korosuo(at)gmail.com

ACCESSIBLE CONTEMPORARY DANCE

In this accessible contemporary dance course we move from our own starting points in the terrains of dance improvisation, creative movement and task-oriented dance. The focus is on the pleasure brought by movement and approaching dance as art. The course also throws you into dancing to a variety of music.

The course is directed by dance artist Kati Korosuo, www.katikorosuo.com

Note: by purchasing the course, you also purchase one "place" for each course session. That is: If you are unable to participate yourself, you can give your place to a friend.

When: Mondays 20.4.-8.6. at 17:30-18:30

Where: Vuosaari's Villa Lill Kallvik (Juhannusruusunkuja 5)

Price: 90 € (eight times in total)

Registrations: Register by sending an email to kati.korosuo(at)gmail.com

HARJU ROOMIES 7.–28.2.2026

HARJU ROOMIES is a multidisciplinary exhibition and performance programme taking place at the former Harju Morgue 7–28 February 2026. Forum Box produces the event in collaboration with its performing arts partners Jenni Kivelä & Kiltit ihmiset, Höyhentämö, and Recover Laboratory. During the daytime, visitors can experience the curated group exhibition Statutum est hominibus mori, while the evenings are dedicated to experimental performance and live art..

Höyhentämö will perform from Thursday to Saturday, 19.–21.2.:
19.2. at 19: Muutama sana ruumiista (A Few Words About the Body) is a performance experiment about the disruptions in the interaction between body, sound, and language. In Finnish.
20.2. at 19: DanceWriteNow is a work-in-progress performance based on dance improvisation, the act of writing and text. Multi-language.
21.2. at 19: Yksi alku ja viisi loppua (One Beginning and Five Ends) is a butoh dance performance about death and the cyclical nature of life.

Tickets: You can choose to pay €5, €10 or €15, buy here

Address: Dallapénpuisto, Aleksis Kiven katu 3, 00500 Helsinki

Read more (in Finnish)

Harju Roomies at Forum Box (in English)

Weekly butoh classes

Our Inner Nature

In the workshop, you will move primarily guided by natural elements and images. The class starts with body listening and mapping the body's wishes and needs and progresses through physical tasks to your own inner movement that stems from images. The course is suitable for everyone, no previous experience in dance or butoh is required. For an amateur practitioner, butoh offers an organic way to move and view the world from a new perspective. For professionals in performing arts, butoh offers the opportunity to discover new movement qualities and a strong presence.

Minja Mertanen is a dance and performance artist from Helsinki. She is a dance teacher, dance movement therapist, yoga instructor and somatic movement therapist by training. Mertanen has worked actively at the Reality Research Center, the Höyhentämö – Pluckhouse and Other Spaces groups as well as in independent dance ensembles. Mertanen has specialized in butoh for 20 years, which she teaches and has performed in 20 countries, in recent years in addition to Finland, especially in Spain and France.

14.1.–25.3. Wednesdays 17:30-19:15, 10 times (not on winter break 18.2.)

At Eskus, room 2 – Performing Arts Centre, Kaasutehtaankatu 1, building 6, Puhdistamo (Suvilahti)

Price: 230€ on sale here

Weekly butoh classes

Our Inner Nature

In the workshop, you will move primarily guided by natural elements and images. The class starts with body listening and mapping the body's wishes and needs and progresses through physical tasks to your own inner movement that stems from images. The beginner course is suitable for everyone, and the advanced course for those who have practiced butoh for at least a few years. For an amateur practitioner, butoh offers an organic way to move and view the world from a new perspective. For professionals in performing arts, butoh offers the opportunity to discover new movement qualities and a strong presence.

Minja Mertanen is a dance and performance artist from Helsinki. She is a dance teacher, dance movement therapist, yoga instructor and somatic movement therapist by training. Mertanen has worked actively at the Reality Research Center, the Höyhentämö – Pluckhouse and Other Spaces groups as well as in independent dance ensembles. Mertanen has specialized in butoh for 20 years, which she teaches and has performed in 20 countries, in recent years in addition to Finland, especially in Spain and France.

Wednesdays 3.9.-12.11. 10 times (not on autumn break 15.10.)
Advanced course 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Beginner course 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

At Eskus – Performing Arts Centre, Kaasutehtaankatu 1, building 6, Puhdistamo (Suvilahti)

Price: 200€ on sale here

Hunter-gatherers exhibition

and walks

4.9.–28.9.
Weekdays 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sat 12–7 p.m., Sun 12–5 p.m.

Vapaakaupungin Olohuone
REDI shopping centre, 2nd floor
Hermannin rantatie 5, 00580 Helsinki

The Hunter-gatherers community art project (2021-2024) examined the urban environment from a Stone Age perspective. A band of urban hunter-gatherers lived in their camp in Hermanninranta for a week every summer, surviving on what they could find.

The participatory exhibition will feature photographs by Oliver Vierkens and objects made or collected by Hunter-gatherers with their stories, videos to watch and stories to listen to.

There will also be three walks exploring the area. On the walks you can hear about the world created, and experience for yourself what you see and find when you look at your everyday environment from the perspective of your ancestors. The walks will depart from the exhibition and last approximately 2.5 hours. They will be mostly in Finnish but we'll accommodate English-speakers as much as we can.

The walks: Sundays 14.9., 21.9. ja 28.9. at 2 p.m.

Reservations: 10€, from the ticket store

Olohuone: vapaakaupunki.fi/in-english

More information: Hunter-gatherers website

Hunter-gatherers walk

Helsinki Day, Thu 12.6. at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Meeting place:
The car park at
Verkkosaarenkuja 6
(formerly the Sompasauna car park)
(map)

Hunter-gatherers is a visit to another world that looks a lot like this one, but is something quite different. The Hunter-gatherers community art project (2021-2024) examined the urban environment from a Stone Age perspective, especially concentrating on the Hermanninranta area. This walk gives you a glimpse into what kind of a world was born out of it, and what you yourself see and find when you look at your everyday environment from the perspective of your ancestors.

Tickets: The walk is free, no advance booking required

Language: Finnish and English depending on participants

Event page: helsinkipaiva.fi/en/event/hunter-gatherers

More about Hunter-gatherers: Hunter-gatherers webpage

Weekend workshop in Action Theater™ improvisation:

Unrehearsed Brilliance

What is it that makes a good improviser? More than anything it is the ability to take risks, to be willing and able to follow the improvisation into the unknown.

That “ability,” that able-ness is where the work is. I might be completely willing to improvise but not have the ability to do so. I acquire that ability by practicing letting go of things, ideas, agendas, plans, etc. It’s a challenge because basically human beings do not like change; we seek stability and safety. Our behavior is dominated by an ego-self. But to improvise I have to seek instability, insecurity and a lack of safety. I have to let go of what I think is right and surrender to what I sense, what the improvisation calls for. To truly improvise I must follow what arises inside of the improvisation, not lead it to what I desire. This is where the brilliance comes in. The saying “yes” to each moment as it arises regardless of my mental disengagement, accepting the first step regardless of the outcome, surrendering to the hidden joy smoldering underneath. I do not wish to be “good” when I improvise, I wish to be open. I do not wish to entertain the audience, I wish to play host to the spirits that enter me. I do not wish to create a good show, I wish to follow the show that arrives and trust that this acceptance will do the crafting. I practice and practice and practice yet I never rehearse. If there is one thing I am “rehearsing,” then it is the action of letting go, of repeatedly falling into the abyss of nothing-ness, getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, sensing the presence of what is and accepting its embrace regardless of the heat or ice, regardless of the approved or disapproved, regardless of the “me” that wants something different. 

Teacher: Sten Rudstrøm

31.5. at 10 a.m-6 p.m
1.6. at 10 a.m-6 p.m

Place: Kaapelitehdas - Cable Factory, Studio B2, Tallberginkatu 1 B, Helsinki, 2nd floor

Price: 160€ on sale here

Butoh Workshop:

Our Inner Nature

This workshop explores on the study of the relationship of humans and the cycle of nature.

The material is based on the performances "Growth and Blossoming" from the Just a Gardener trilogy produced by Höyhentämö, which premiered in 2022, and the performance "Withering and Death" which will premiere in winter 2025.

In the workshop, you will move guided by natural elements and images. The class starts with body listening and mapping the body's wishes and needs and progresses through physical tasks to your own inner movement that stems from images. Butoh offers the opportunity to discover new movement qualities and natural movement.

Minja Mertanen is a dance and performance artist from Helsinki. She is a dance teacher, dance movement therapist, yoga instructor and somatic movement therapist by training. Mertanen has worked actively at the Reality Research Center, the Höyhentämö – Pluckhouse and Other Spaces groups as well as in independent dance ensembles. Mertanen has specialized in butoh for 20 years, which she teaches and has performed in 20 countries, in recent years in addition to Finland, especially in Spain and France.

Teacher: Minja Mertanen

Performing Arts Centre, Kaasutehtaankatu 1, building 6, Puhdistamo (Suvilahti)

26.4. at 2 p.m-5 p.m and 27.4. at 2 p.m-5 p.m

Price: 50€ on sale here

Kesken – prototype 1:

Unexplained absence

Kesken: unfinished, in the making, in the middle of, work in progress; between, amongst, in the midst

Kesken is something happening between us, an uncontrollable relationship that begins in an encounter - between us. It is something that is not ready, that has not found its permanent or final form, that is movement and in motion.

A prototype is a test situation, an ordeal, where something only existing as a thought is exposed to the unpredictability of reality. A performance prototype doesn't test the usability or commercial potential of a product, but the translation of the imagined into interactive actions and situations. It is always being on the threshold, where something still unknown seems to be starting to take shape, is ready to emerge, but doesn't show itself yet. The prototype must be brought before the audience in order for it to become a performance when exposed to the relationship between the audience and the performers. The prototype tests the potential of the performace - it always aims for the next prototype.

Working group: Giorgio Convertito, Aarni Korpela, Minja Mertanen, Teemu Päivinen and Juha Sääski

18.10. at 19 | 19.10. at 19 | 20.10. at 15
Valssaamo, The Cable Factory (Door B), Kaapeliaukio 3

Language: The performance is mainly in Finnish

Tickets: 15€ on sale here

Greetings from Helsinki
- Dallas of the Nordic Countries

2.9.2024 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Mustikkamaa cliffs (Map)
Note! Weather reservation

"Every time I see the skyscrapers of Kalasatama, which permanently changed the silhouette of Helsinki, the funky theme music of the 80s TV series Dallas starts playing in my head. The matter could be dismissed as an amusing trifle, if I didn't happen to live and work in the almost immediate vicinity of towers, which has caused my life to become an eternal return to the 80s.
Greetings from Helsinki - Dallas of the Nordic countries is a personal and social ritual, with which I try to banish the ghosts that came to haunt us from the 80s back to their own time and place."
— Teemu Päivinen

Performer: Teemu Päivinen
Music: Miro Mantere
Production: Tanja Eloranta/Höyhentämö

Tickets: The performance is free, no advance booking required

More information: Helsinki - Dallas of the Nordic Countries webpage

UNFAMILIAR DIALOGUES

The experimental performance and art event Unfamiliar Dialogues invites participants to an experimental space to be shared together. It starts from the thoughts, memories, sensations and feelings evoked by the empty stage as well as by our encounter with each other. The dream that is born together is created by means of live-looping sound technology and a constellation of the groups dynamic.

Working group: Ursula Hallas, Miro Mantere and Teemu Päivinen

Picture: Jenni Kokkomäki

11.10 | 25.10. |8.11.| 22.11.| 2023
Hietsun Paviljonki

Tickets: 20€ |10 € or you can experience all four performances with a series ticket 50€|25€. All tickets are for sale here.

KASVU JA KUKOISTUS

The multidisciplinary butoh performance Kasvu ja kukoistus depicts the time of year when nature is in its fullest bloom, midsummer. The performance is also a celebration of aging, as we can continue to grow and bloom throughout different stages of life, if circumstances so allow. 

The piece visits the world of performance art, but keeps its roots firmly in butoh dance.

16.6. at 19 | 17.6. at 19 | 18.6. at 19 
PerformanceSirkus

8.7. at 16
Jyväskylä Festival, Kulttuuritalo Villa Rana, Jyväskylä

Choreography and dance: Minja Mertanen
Directing and video: Jenni Kokkomäki
Music: Miro Mantere
Costume design: Suvi Hänninen
Lighting design: Jere Suontausta

More information: Kasvu ja kukoistus webpage

THE ARTIST IS AT HOME

Kati Korosuo’s solo performance The Artist Is at Home is a banal spectacle from a narcissistic artist for a scandal yearning audience. Documentary footage and use of self as material are highlighted in its egocentricity to the point of annoyance. Our time is a stage, on which everything has already been said and done, shown and seen. What can the body of the performer still reflect?

23.8. at 19 | 25.8. at 19 | 26.8. at 19 | 27.8. at 15 and 19 | 29.8. at 19

Studio Pasila
The performance is subtitled in English

Concept and performance: Kati Korosuo
Scenography and costume design: Annika Saloranta
Lighting design: Outi Vedenpää
Sound design: Miikka Ahlman
Moving image: Sanni Priha
Mentor: Maija Nurmio

Production: Helsinki City Theatre’s Stage for Contemporary Performance, Kati Korosuo, Höyhentämö – Pluckhouse

Tickets and information: The Artist Is at Home / Helsinki City Theatre

KATASTROFIESITYS
/ CATASTROPHE PERFORMANCE

A punk performance about catastrophe

8.3. premiere| 9.3. | 10.3.

The performance will be streamed later in 2022

At Tiivistämö, Kaasutehtaankatu 1

Team: Juha Sääski, Teemu Päivinen, Minja Mertanen, James MacDonald, Aarni Korpela, Kati Korosuo, Jenni Kokkomäki and Akseli Aittomäki

Tickets: You can choose a suitable ticket price for yourself from these categories: 10 € | 15 € | 25 € | 35 €. There are also "pay what you want tickets" on sale at the door. Buy your ticket here.

More information

LUST

42 episode webseries.

Lust is an "erotic" comedy for the Covid times where the lonely search for connection to themselves, to others, or to something.

Watch: Episodes 

Language: English
Director: Eero-Tapio Vuori
Script: Sanna Hietala, Aarni Korpela, James Lórien MacDonald, Juha Sääski, Erich Weidle ja Eero-Tapio Vuori
Filming, sounds and editing: James Lórien MacDonald
Actors: Sanna Hietala, Aarni Korpela, James Lórien MacDonald, Juha Sääski, Erich Weidle