Dance Theatre Tsuumi & Eloa Culture Company: Arvo | Premiere – Baltic Circle

Choreographer and artist Sonja Jokiniemi’s new stage work explores the Karelian lament tradition and the physical experience of crying within the context of contemporary art. When something big is missing In Karelian tradition, rites of passage, the processing of grief and the community went hand in hand. The mundane and the sacred coexisted side by side. Arvo is an artistic tribute to lost traditions, craftsmanship and manual labour. The work is born from the shards of a fragmented heritage and reaches out towards cultural ghosts, as well as the resolve and spiritual strength of wailers. Arvo, brought to the stage by Dance Theatre Tsuumi and Eloa Culture Company, is the second part of Sonja Jokiniemi’s trilogy exploring Karelian cultural heritage and grief. The first instalment of the series, Armo, dealt with death, wordless stories and the experience of rootlessness. The second part of the trilogy focuses on the physicality of crying, communal grieving and intergenerational knowledge. Choreography, costume design, concept: Sonja Jokiniemi Artistic working group Dancers: Reetta-Kaisa Iles, Tuomas Juntunen, Salla Korja, Leila Kourkia, Herman Nyby Sound design: Eetu Vekki Lighting design: Anna Pöllänen Production: Dance Theatre Tsuumi , Eloa Culture Company In collaboration with: Stoa, Baltic Circle Photographs: Eva-Liisa Orupöld and Mariangela Pluchino The production is supported by the New Classics fund. The activities of Dance Theatre Tsuumi are supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the City of Helsinki. The activities of the Eloa Cultural Company are supported by the Finnish Arts and Culture Agency and the City of Helsinki. Premiere: Sat 28 Nov 2026 at 15:00 at Stoa, as part of the Baltic Circle festival programme. Further performances: Sun 29 Nov at 15:00, as part of the Baltic Circle festival programme. Following the performance, a meet-the-artists session is held in the Stoa lobby, where we discuss Arvo, its creation and the story behind it. The audience can ask questions and share their thoughts with the work’s choreographer, Sonja Jokiniemi. Tue 1 Dec at 6.30 pm Wed 2 Dec at 12.00 Thu 3 Dec at 18.30 (Please note: the performance will be video-recorded) Fri 4 Dec at 18.30 Sat 5 Dec at 15.00 Tickets: €24.50 (standard price) / €19 (concessionary groups, groups of 10 or more), on sale at Lippu.fi. Enquiries and bookings for group tickets: [email protected]