16. ANTISTATIC FESTIVAL: Attitude

With “Atitude” the choreographer Tomi Paasonen mixes up the strict academic vocabulary of classical ballet with the dramaturgical impulses from contemporary dance. He revisits what has been focus of his dance for 30 years, because he decides it is time to examine the processes, forms and techniques of his 90’s ballet past.

In this journey we are led by Kai Braithwaite and Jonathan Royce Windham, three queer ballet dancers performing Paazonen's contemporary dance techniques... with pointe shoe.

The result is an experimental ballet performance full of technical skills and virtuosity.

Fusing ballet technique with queer aesthetics and sensitivities, Paazonen does not aim for parody, but for an extension of the possibilities of using pointe shoe as an instigator for movement and choreography.

You are welocme to a post-show talk with the artists, moderated by Kosta Karakashyan.

Tomi Paasonen, born 1970 in Helsinki, Finland, is a choreographer, artistic director, dancer, curator, mentor, and teacher After dancing as a soloist at the Hamburg Ballet of John Neumeier (1989-1994), at Lines Ballet by Alonzo King in San Francisco  (1994-1995), and The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago (1995-1997), his dance career was cut  short because of an accident. In 2002 he moved to Berlin, where he launched PAA (Public Artistic Affairs) and worked internationally as a choreographer and stage director, branching out into other genres. During the years 2013-2018, he was Artistic Director of ITAK in Finland. 2019-2020 marked the year of his return back on stage after 23 years. His  autobiographical “Retrospectrum – 5 solos for 5 decades” is his first ever solo piece he has choreographed for himself. His work has been performed and produced throughout Europe, in New York, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Brazil,  Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

Paasonen has worked in a wide variety of contexts and has realized projects with dancers and artists from different disciplines as well as laymen, differently abled dancers and different kinds of minorities. Over the years, he has developed a diverse archive of choreographic and aesthetic working methods and approaches. After 5 years of working primarily as a curator and artistic director of a dance center in Finland, he has returned to his home and life in Berlin.

This event is part of 16th edition of Antistatic Festival for Contemporary Dance and Performance. This guest performance is made possible with the financial support of the National Culture Fund, under the Program for Reconstruction and Development of Private Cultural Organizations.

Presale until 20 April – 15 BGN; until 8 May – 20 BGN; regular price after 8 May – 25 BGN

The international program of the festival for contemporary dance and performance "Antistatic" 2023 is organized by the "Brain Store Project" foundation and the "Nomad Dance Academy Bulgaria" association, with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, National Fund "Culture" under the "Program for the Restoration and development of private cultural organizations", Goethe-Institut Bulgaria, Metropolitan Municipality - Calendar of cultural events and Polish Institute in Sofia, and in partnership with RCSI "Toplocentrala", "Derrida" Stage and "Etude" Gallery.