Abstract
The stage performance Tempo explores time – its perception, acceleration, deceleration, and eventual end. At the heart of the performance is an apparently insignificant event that takes on grand proportions, revealing the fragility of life.
Tempo marks the first collaboration between magician and visual artist Kalle Nio and choreographer Fernando Melo. The performance is based on a text by Harry Salmenniemi, as well as wordless scenes built around dance and stage illusions, where time slows down, reverses, and comes to a halt. Tempo prompts questions about how we truly experience time and in what ways it can be understood. At the same time, it confronts the audience with their own temporality. The music for the performance is composed by Samuli Kosminen.
Tempo is the second collaboration between Nio, Salmenniemi, and Kosminen. Their previous stage work Nopeussokeus premiered at Kiasma Theatre in 2010 and was subsequently performed in twelve theaters across seven countries and in five languages. Nio and Salmenniemi also created the film installation Yön for the Mänttä Art Festival in 2022.
Sweden-based Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo, who works internationally, has crafted a choreography that defies both gravity and time for three exceptional dancers. Slovenian dancer and puppetry artist Barbara Kanc, Italian dancer Luigi Sardone, and Swedish dancer-acrobat Winston Reynolds move between the realms of dance, theater, and acrobatics. Both the movements of the performers and the set design push the boundaries of what is possible – and go beyond them.
The performance is an international co-production. In Finland, it is produced by WHS in collaboration with Helsinki Festival. In Slovenia, the production partner is LGL, the National Puppet Theatre. The piece is supported by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation.
Tempo will have its world premiere at the Helsinki Festival.
The information on artistic outputs in the Aalto Research Portal follows the reporting guidelines of Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture. Therefore, each contribution requiring independent artistic activity is reported separately. For full details of the work and its contributors, please refer to information provided by the publisher.
Tempo marks the first collaboration between magician and visual artist Kalle Nio and choreographer Fernando Melo. The performance is based on a text by Harry Salmenniemi, as well as wordless scenes built around dance and stage illusions, where time slows down, reverses, and comes to a halt. Tempo prompts questions about how we truly experience time and in what ways it can be understood. At the same time, it confronts the audience with their own temporality. The music for the performance is composed by Samuli Kosminen.
Tempo is the second collaboration between Nio, Salmenniemi, and Kosminen. Their previous stage work Nopeussokeus premiered at Kiasma Theatre in 2010 and was subsequently performed in twelve theaters across seven countries and in five languages. Nio and Salmenniemi also created the film installation Yön for the Mänttä Art Festival in 2022.
Sweden-based Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo, who works internationally, has crafted a choreography that defies both gravity and time for three exceptional dancers. Slovenian dancer and puppetry artist Barbara Kanc, Italian dancer Luigi Sardone, and Swedish dancer-acrobat Winston Reynolds move between the realms of dance, theater, and acrobatics. Both the movements of the performers and the set design push the boundaries of what is possible – and go beyond them.
The performance is an international co-production. In Finland, it is produced by WHS in collaboration with Helsinki Festival. In Slovenia, the production partner is LGL, the National Puppet Theatre. The piece is supported by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation.
Tempo will have its world premiere at the Helsinki Festival.
The information on artistic outputs in the Aalto Research Portal follows the reporting guidelines of Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture. Therefore, each contribution requiring independent artistic activity is reported separately. For full details of the work and its contributors, please refer to information provided by the publisher.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Helsinki, Finland |
| Publisher | Finnish National Opera |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Aug 2025 |
| MoE publication type | F2 Partial implementation of a work of art or performance |
| Event | Helsinki Festival: Tempo - National Opera and Ballet, Helsinki, Finland Duration: 21 Aug 2025 → 23 Aug 2025 https://oopperabaletti.fi/en/repertoire/helsinki-festival-tempo/ |
Field of art
- Performance