Category Archives: Art

Back to work and exercise routines

Last week has been so freezing in Kuopio, all over Finland I guess. The days are gorgeous though – bright, sunny and the landscape is covered by tons of snow but it’s sooooo cold. A couple of hours in the afternoon feel pretty ok after the sun has been shining all morning but as soon as it goes down again, the cold hits really hard. So it hasn’t been a real pleasure to spend much time exercising outdoors although I’ve done a few Nordic walks.



Since I came back from Australia, I’ve been getting back to my normal routines. The last three weeks I’ve exercised pretty intensively at the Functional studio and really enjoyed myself! Lots of Kinesis and Functional training but also Zumba, for the first time in my life! I’ve missed so much aerobic exercise that I was quite miserable until I realized that the Zumba classes work at least as well as a run. And it’s so much fun to dance and sweat to the holiday rhythms of calypso, salsa and reggae!

Do you remember when I wrote last autumn that I want a hybrid bicycle? Well, I’ve just bought one! Yes, it’s a bit crazy but I’ve thought about it so much that I’m convinced that this was a good investment. The sad thing is that it has been so cold that is has been practically impossible to ride much but I’ve done a few short tests and I love it! My bicycle is Merida S-Presso 700 with hydraulic disc brakes, beautiful matt black and sleek design.

Now that I have the bike, I realize that I also should have all kinds of gears to be able to take full advantage of it but I have to take it slow. I can’t possibly buy a whole set of wind stopper cloths, gloves, cycling bags and shoes etc. all at once! I’ve bought a helmet, for the first time in my life, and that’s pretty much what I can afford at the moment. But to be able to cycle to work on a regular basis, I need to get these Ortlieb panniers. I really love the white line!

About work

Some of you know that I’ve started to work with the support of the Arts Council of Finland’s three year artist grant in January. This year I will not be producing any new performances or shows but I’m doing a lot of research as well as touring and performing Twirling World and Acts of Clothing. I’m working on an international collaboration with Rebecca French from FrenchMottershead and I’m very very excited about it! The downfall has been that I haven’t been able to raise much funding for the project which is to premiere in 2012 and not this year. I find it rather disturbing and I’m not really sure how to proceed with the project. We’ve got 2 000 € from the Regional arts council of North Savo but you might be able to imagine that it isn’t much of anything for an international collaboration. So we’ll see how that goes and what the rest of the foundations say.

Tomorrow I start rehearsing Twirling World with Sonja and we have shows coming up in Kuopio in March. I’m a bit scared to return to that work which as a performer, was quite challenging for me. So I’ll see how I feel next week.

I’ve been also really really shocked by the City of Kuopio cutting ANTI Festival’s funding. We have a tenth anniversary of the festival and a lot of special programme planned to celebrate that in the city of Kuopio, a book coming up by a national publisher and the fourth year of A Space for Live Art project going on. So WTF???? I don’t really know what to think.

Johanna

good gig in Oulu

I’m sitting on a train from Oulu to Kuopio. Last night I performed Acts of Clothing in Oulu to a full house and left feeling quite happy and satisfied. Here’s a link to the interview in Kaleva. I love performing that show although it somehow takes a lot out of me. A lot of energy, lot of strength, a lot of layers, emotions, feelings. The performance was perhaps a bit more emotional than usually as yesterday would have been my sister’s 32nd birthday. And there were some relatives in the audience, too, which is always a bit scary. But they loved the show and afterwards we had a dinner in an Indian restaurant – the same one where I last saw my sister exactly a year ago.
It was great to see Pirjo, my old time friend, teacher and collegue. I shared my pains and pleasures of performing, of donating my body to a certain imagery and the emotions and questions it has raised. The questions of being scrutinized by anybody, being viewed by the critical eye, the perhaps ‘evil’ eye. Why do I do it? Why do I set myself in the scenes that cause me so much emotional pain? Of course I know why – as the choreographer and director – but it’s yet again a different thing to experience all that as a performer, as a living and breathing and feeling human body. Not easy.
I’m longing for my exercise routines that have been a bit lost during the last weeks when I was in Sydney and now in Oulu. I’m dreaming of Pipsa’s Kinesis sport and functional training sessions and I wouldn’t mind a Zumba class on Saturday morning either! How weird is that?

Johanna

Acst of Clothing in Oulu on Sunday the 30th of Jan

I’m performing Acts of Clothing on Sunday in Oulu. JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre hosts the show which I’ll perform in Oulun Taidekoulu.
Here’s an interview about the show in Oulu-lehti. Also Kaleva interviewed me and I think the interview comes out either tomorrow or on Sunday. I haven’t performed in Oulu for ages, maybe the last time in 2000. Hopefully people will find their way to the show as my childhood town Oulu and the neighbouring island Hailuoto play a big part in it.

So if you are in Oulu or somewhere near, see you on Sunday at 4pm!

Johanna

MINTO: LIVE in Sydney, Australia

travel plans

Are you familiar with Kaffa coffee roastery? Their latte blend is excellent and a perfect beginning of a day…


The next travel destination is…


I’m so proud and excited to be participating in the MINTO: LIVE programme as part of the Sydney Festival in January…

Wishing you all Happy New Year!!!

Johanna

videos

I’ve uploaded short edited videos of Acts of Clothing and body/hair on the site. Have a look if you like!

Johanna

my performance today

I performed today at the Dancing Advent Calendar in the Maxim shop window in the city centre of Kuopio. I’m performing eight times and today was my fourth live action for the calender. Unfortunately, there’s no documentation of the performances but this is what was left after my show.



If you are interested, there’s a performance everyday at 4.30pm until the 24th of Dec by me, Johanna Keinänen or Anniina Aunola. On the 24th the performance will be at 11am. The Dancing Advent Calender is organized by the Dance Centre of Eastern Finland.

Johanna

we did it…

…only twice but it was great.

I don’t want to give the show away and post too many photos…(by Pekka Mäkinen)

Some audience members were crying, hugging me real tight, saying very beautiful words. Some were very distant. That’s ok, too.

Today has been very slow for me. I’m down with a flu and don’t feel that good. But I’m performing tomorrow and on Saturday so I’m trying to gather my energy.

Somehow strange days, strange thoughts. Feeling the vulnerability of a live show. Donating my body.

Candles, fires, warmth, closeness. How wonderful to spend a day at home. Do some laundry, dishes, cook food, sit by the fire, set up Christmas lights, listen to the kids arguing. Thought about my sister, too.

Yes, death. Yes, time passing.

Johanna

welcome to the Twirling World starring… Miss Privilege & Miss Million-Ways

Nov 30th at 7pm & Dec 1st at 1pm in Sotku, Kuopio, Finland.

Bookings: itak@itak.fi or call +358 40 742 9091

You can download the brochure as a pdf here Twirling World.

See you there!

Johanna

ajankohtaista

Johanna Tuukkaselta uusi teos Twirling World

Tanssitaiteilija Johanna Tuukkasen uusi teos Twirling World starring… Miss Privilege & Miss Million-Ways nähdään Sotkulla Kuopiossa 30.11. ja 1.12.2010. Tuukkasen kanssa teoksessa esiintyy tanssi- ja live art –taiteilija Sonja Jokiniemi.
Miss Privilege & Miss Million-Ways liikkuvat maastossa, joka muuttuu kutsuvasta kysyväksi ja vinksahtaneeksi. He asettavat itsensä asetelmallisiin kohtauksiin ja samalla kyseenalaistavat, rikkovat ja muuttavat niitä. Miss Privilege & Miss Million-Ways lahjoittavat merkityt kehonsa tapahtumiin, joissa he leikittelevät kimaltelevilla stereotypioilla, itsensä esineellistämisellä ja katsotuksi tulemisella.

Lippuvaraukset: itak@itak.fi / +358 (0)40 7429091

Huippusuosittu ACTS OF CLOTHING vierailee Yksin Sateessa? –festivaalilla Joensuussa 27.11.2010

Marraskuussa 2009 kantaesitetty ACTS OF CLOTHING perustuu brittiläisen Marcia Farquharin konseptiin. Esityksessä Johanna Tuukkanen on yksin catwalkilla koko elämän läpi ulottuvan vaatekomeronsa kanssa kertomassa tarinoita vaatekappaleiden johdattelemana. Hyvinkin paljastavat ja henkilökohtaiset tarinat avaavat kuvaa tämän päivän naisesta ja kertovat häikäilemättömän suorasukaisesti noloista väärinymmärryksistä, syrjinnästä, rakastumisesta, äitiydestä, irtisanomisista, onnistumisesta, taiteilijuudesta, perheestä, täyttymättömistä pyrkimyksistä ja irtiotoista. Arjen tragikoomisuus ja Tuukkasen itseironisuus ravistelevat catwalk-tradition puhumattomuutta.

Johanna mukana Tanssivassa Joulukalenterissa Kuopiossa

Itäisen tanssin aluekeskuksen tanssiva joulukalenteri on todellinen vaihtoehto joulun aineelliselle hössötykselle. Kalenterin luukku avautuu entisen elokuvateatteri Maximin ikkunassa joka päivä tarjoten liikelahjan, joka ei saastuta, ei jää nurkkiin pyörimään ja on aina sopivan kokoinen. Ja niin kuin hyvä lahja aina, Tanssivan joulukalenterin lahjat myös yllättävät. 
Joulukalenterin on ideoinut tänä vuonna freelance tanssitaiteilija ja koomikko Johanna Keinänen yhdessä tanssitaiteilija Anniina Aunolan ja Johanna Tuukkasen kanssa. Luukut avautuvat 1.-23.12. klo 16.30 ja aattona klo 11.00. Haapaniemenkatu 23:n ja Maljalahdenkadun kulmassa Kuopiossa. Johanna Tuukkanen esiintyy joulukalenterissa kahdeksan kertaa.

Juuri kolmivuotisen taiteilija-apurahan Taiteen keskustoimikunnalta saanut Johanna Tuukkanen tunnetaan erityisesti intiimeistä, esiintyjän ja katsojan vuorovaikutukselle perustuvista teoksistaan. Tuukkanen lähestyy teostensa teemoja usein itseironian kautta ja hän on kiinnostunut tuomaan esille ajan, paikan, fyysisyyden, hetkellisyyden ja arjen käsitteitä. Maija Hirvasen mukaan ”Arjen lisäksi Johannan töissä ovat 10 vuoden ajan näyttäytyneet leikkisästi erilaiset naismyytit ja sukupuoliset todellisuudet. Hän on diiva, äiti, olento, humoristinen luomu-bitch, Niskavuoren emäntä viettelevässä versiossa.”

Nähdään esityksissä!