Petri Kekoni Company: 369°

Petri Kekoni’s ensemble work 369° is a movement sculpture that is always viewed from multiple angles and perspectives. The work represents a pattern of movement that is active in every direction; a circle that has exceeded its full rotation is the beginning of a spiral. We encourage the audience to find new directions for looking at the movement, seeking a shared vortex of performers and viewers. The stage becomes a focal point burned by the gaze of the audience.

The atmosphere and presentation of the work find historical references in the sacrality of an altar, the brutality of a boxing match, or the hustle and bustle of a medieval market. In the middle of the space, the dancers undergo their own absurd survival fight under the eye of the audience. The architecture and spaciousness of the performance venue – Cirko’s Maneesi, or Manege – create the ideal bounds for this struggle.

“In addition to its numeral rhythm, the title of the piece is a statement against the need to always seek perfection,” says choreographer Petri Kekoni. “360 degrees form a perfect circle, which is a concept that is antithetical to art. Mathematically speaking, there is no such thing as 369 degrees, since it’s not possible to go beyond the complete – in theory. What is perfect is in balance, and that is something that we don’t want. The idea of balance is a kind of phantom that we keep fleeing from in work after work.”

The dance work 369° is the latest step in the long-time collaboration between Kekoni and sound artist Antti Nykyri. Previously, they have worked on Kekoni’s dance pieces Theses of the Deed (2011) and Non-Linear (2014–15). The dance ensemble of the work is a potent mix of Kekoni’s experienced long-time collaborators and fresh movement ideas from the latest generation of young dancers.

– Petri Kekoni