Napapiiri – Navel Circle
Napapiiri – Navel Circle (name in Finnish for The Arctic Circle) is a dance performance with element of a ritual. The primary theme is connection. What are the ways to search for it? How is connection composed? The performing bodies invited the public and participators to navigate the work through one’s “first mouth”, the navel.
The performances were part of Kuvan Kevät exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts on 5.5.-4.6.2023. Napapiiri – Navel Circle took place on Sundays 14.5., 21.5., 28.5. at 14.00.
About the content:
The performance led the participant on an expedition to the Navel Circle. The purpose of the trip is to get to know the navel experientially. There were two ways in which the audience could join the performance; by witnessing it from the sidelines or participating in the expedition.
Those participating in the expedition were required to take all other explorers into account. The expedition was partly carried out in small groups. All activities on the tour were voluntary, and one could step out of the group at any time and witness the happenings as a bystander.
All the instructions were provided in Finnish and in English. If an expedition member had a hearing limitation, the expedition group leader took this into account.
How the work was created:
The performer members of the dance work become involved in the process through an open invitation letter. The process was multifaceted and included, among other things, navel mold casting with each performer. The navel casts were part of Lin Da’s Aukeama – Opening space installation that was on display at the Kuvan Kevät exhibition 5.5.-4.6.2023. In addition, the working group spent time together in workshops, during which the dance work took shape. There were in total thirteen workshops and each with a length of 2.5–4 hours.
The performers come from different backgrounds to dance, movement and performance. The common denominators was a personal relationship with queer identity and an interest in being with the navel through movement, touch and collaboration.
Working group:
The leaders and performers of the Navel Circle expedition: Fri Nilas Lindell, Laura Ropo, Lätsä, Maru and Sora
Convener, choreographer and guide of the trip: Lin Da
Co-choreographers: Fri Nilas Lindell, Fyodor, Laura Ropo, Lätsä, Maru, Sora and Stefanía
Sound design and music for the performance: Jyri Pirinen
Thesis supervisor: Julius Elo
Supporter: The UniArts Helsinki Foundation
Duration: 75 min (approx.)
Language: Finnish and English
Lin Martikainen aka Lin Da 