Castle in the Air

Castle in the Air is simply physical, luscious, sexual.

Sirpa Heikkinen in Kaleva, a daily Finnish newspaper, 16.3.2000

The work moves between power relationships, reality and fiction, masculine and feminine. The evening continued perhaps as the most bare and crule portrait of a relationship that I have ever seen on stage.

Mika Väyrynen in Tanssi, the Finnish Dance Journal, 2-2000

Castle in the Air offers a shift to tragic reality. Tapani Launonen dances as Yli-Maunula’s partner, and bringes a sense of realism to the work with his strong personality. In the beginning they go through erotic clichés charmingly. Pasi Räbinä’s costumes are pure porn! The movement material has been influenced by Spanish sensual macho dance culture.The rest of the work is a wet cloth against the face. Fantasy turns into violent reality. Simulated love making has as much feelings as in two dog’s coitus. The work is cruel and stinks like an ugly reality. The ending is very dark; the couple brakes into two separate parts whose worlds simply cannot meet, even if they would be forced to.

Jussi Tossavainen in Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest daily Finnish newspaper 10.4.2000

Castle in the Air
Choreography: Johanna Tuukkanen
Performers: Tapani Launonen and Pirjo Yli-Maunula
Costume design: Pasi Räbinä
Costume realization: Pia Karjalainen
Light design: Jari Haavikko
Premiered 15.3.2000 in Oulu, Finland
Production: JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre
Supported by: Arts Council of Finland