Markkula, Lajunen, Kurttila: Syntyä/syvyydestä
In 19th-century Border Karelia, the term “playing one’s own might” was used among kantele players. This expression referred to long, introspective improvisations that allowed musicians to express their emotions and inner states.
Similarly, in the 1950s, Authentic Movement emerged in Western contemporary dance practice—an approach born at the intersection of expressive dance and Jungian psychology. This method invites movers to close their eyes and surrender to the impulses of their subconscious.
Syntyä / syvyydestä is a collaboration between two performers who express themselves through dance and music, along with a scenographer. Staying true to its sources of inspiration, the work taps into hidden, subconscious landscapes—the unseen spaces behind closed eyelids—summoned into being by dance and music.
The piece travels through personal and national archives, drawing from melodies and verses collected by folk tradition researchers, as well as from the silences within archives—those stories left unrecorded.
This sensory field journey resonates through strings, bows, hair, knees, tails, fingers, and spines.
Performance
Friday 24.10. at 7 pm
Duration approx. 60 minutes.
Tickets
- 20 e | Basic ticket
- 10 e | Discount ticket (students, pensioners, unemployed, performing arts professionals)
- 10 e | Wheelchair ticket + assistant ticket
2-2,50 e Lippuagentti handling fee.
Tickets are also available at the door.
Venue
Studio Liikelaituri, Yliopistonkatu 58 D, 33100 Tampere
Makers
- Artistic working group: Outi Markkula, Emilia Lajunen, Jaana Kurttila (Aino Salmi will be covering Kurttila)
- Production: The Regional Dance Centre of Eastern Finland, Outi Markkula
- Picture: Petra Kuha
The visiting performance is organized in collaboration with the Pirkanmaa Dance Centre and the Regional Dance Centre of Eastern Finland.
Siilinjärvi-born Outi Markkula is a dance artist working as a performer, choreographer, teacher, and writer. Her artistic background combines Finnish folk dance, Western contemporary dance techniques, psychophysical practices, and music studies. Markkula is drawn to multidisciplinary collaborations, where the coexistence of different artistic and working methods creates new forms of expression and thought. Her work explores the intersections of dance and music, as well as themes of embodied memory and movement history. She is currently expanding her expertise in dance movement therapy.
Professional folk musician Emilia Lajunen is known for her deep knowledge of tradition, distinctive arrangement style, and intense stage presence. She earned her Doctorate in Music from the Sibelius Academy at the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2023. Her artistic doctoral research explored expanding contemporary folk musicianship, particularly through dance, movement, performance art, and archival recordings. In addition to playing the five-string fiddle, Lajunen performs on the nyckelharpa, contrabass harp, and as a vocalist. Her repertoire blends Finnish and Nordic folk traditions, archaic kantele and jouhikko melodies, as well as broadside ballads and epics.
For over 30 years, Jaana Kurttila has worked as a costume and set designer for theater, dance, and performance art across Finland, contributing to more than 150 productions. She also creates set designs and lighting concepts for smaller projects. Kurttila’s work thrives on creative friction—she mixes unexpected elements into tension-filled compositions, embracing both humor and imperfection. Her costume designs are delightfully twisted, yet meticulously constructed.
