DanceMENU (TantsuMENÜÜ under Estonian Dance Agency) is Estonian dance touring programme for rural communities. The purpose of DanceMENU is to bring dance to a new audience outside of the usual dance stages.
Supported by: Ministry of Culture, Estonian Cultural Capital, Pakenditööstus
The SPARSE (Supporting and Promoting Arts in Rural Settlements in Europe, in Estonia TantsuMENÜÜ) network has undergone an exciting development in recent months, with which we want to achieve the goals of SPARSE, funded by the European Union's Creative Europe program, i.e. to create a permanently functioning performing arts touring network in rural areas of Europe. The first eight partners and associate partners who have been working together through SPARSE for the past four years have understood the importance of raising and promoting a pan-European profile and have involved new partners in their activities.
The goals of SPARSE and DanceMENU are:
- expand the presence of rural tourism networks in partner countries,
- develop and share good operating practices with each other,
- increase the knowledge of (dance) artists and colleagues in the cultural sector about tours in rural areas,
- find resources to support the performance activities of rural areas,
- advocate for access to quality professional performing arts in rural areas.
PERFORMANCES
Koolitantsu Kompanii / Estonian Youth Dance Company
“Failing/Falling”
Six young dancers explore questions about falling and failure. How do we fall and how or can we always be ready to fall? How do we get back up and how do we develop the flexibility to land sustainably and cope with falling (down)? What are the factors that increase the probability of failure and what coping mechanisms alleviate the distress associated with failure? Do the high expectations we set for ourselves help us reach our goals or do they prevent us from reaching them? What is conscious landing? Is the goal to be ready to fall or not to be afraid of falling at all?
If I fall, who will catch me?
Choreographer: Eliisa Sirelpuu
Dancers and fallers: Anett Leesment, Kadi Krikmann, Kelli Katriin Krünvald, Mirt Marleen Pevkur, Saara Lotta Krusell, Ööle Lilleorg
Costume design: Karmen Teesi Pregel
Light design: Priidu Adlas
Music: Jon Hopkins – Open Eye Signal – Happa remix
Grandbrothers – Bloodflow
Ben Laver – HYMN
Perra for Cuva – Her Entrance
The School Dance Festival (Festival Koolitants) is organized by the Estonian Dance Agency.
Supported by: Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Estonia, The Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Pakenditööstus
Premiere: April 2 Festival School Dance 2023 at the regional dance day in the Pärnu Concert Hall
koolitants.ee
Koolitantsu Kompanii (Estonian Youth Dance Company) is an Estonian youth dance company that brings together talented young dancers who are studying in different dance schools. The company offers the opportunity to learn about the profession of a dance artist under the guidance of recognized and talented choreographers. The first Koolitantsu Kompanii production premiered in 2015, and so far twelve dance productions have been created both in theater halls and on Rakvere Vallimäe (rampart), as well as a dance film. Estonian choreographers who have directed Koolitantsu Kompanii: Maarja Pruuli, Kadi Aare, Ruslan Stepanov, Argo Liik, Olga Privis, Kaja Lindal, Eliisa Sirelpuu, etc.
Festival Koolitants (School Dance Festival) is Estonia's largest annual dance festival of all time, which brings together thousands of children and young dancers from all over Estonia every year with new original dances and productions. Koolitants was founded in 1994. The biggest purpose of Koolitants (The School Dance Festival) is to highlight the dance education of children and young people and to focus on special artistic nature and moments.
Choreographer Igor Lider's dance performance "Change" invites the viewer into the exciting world of street dance. Dedicated to hip-hop culture since childhood, four male dancers bring their years of experience to the stage. Their encounter with theater and contemporary dance space creates a new and extraordinary change.
Multi-level, modern and eloquent.
Igor Lider is a choreographer, dancer and musician who has been active as a creator for almost twenty-five years. Igor's great love is street dancing, which has taken him to podium places at many festivals and competitions. As a choreographer, he has worked with several musicians and directed dance films.
Alexander Makarov is a dancer, dance teacher and choreographer from Valga, Estonia. Alexander has been dancing for more than twenty years, and his strengths are hip-hop and popping. He has participated in several street dance competitions and won first place.
Edgar Budza is a street dancer, choreographer and competition judge. Edgar has participated in many festivals both in Europe and Russia. In recent years, she has worked as a dance teacher.
Valerii Zaichenko is a dancer and dance teacher from Luhansk, Ukraine. As a creator, Valerii always tries to create something new, without forgetting the basic principles of dance, which is why he is very good at freestyle. He is also the winner of many street dance competitions.
Kalver Kaseorg is a dance teacher, choreographer and dancer from Tartu. He started his dance path with hip-hop freestyle and has now also reached the top of street dance choreographers in Estonia. In addition to teaching, his life also consists of amazing collaborations with artists and in the television.
Director: Igor Lider
Choreographers and dancers: Igor Lider, Alexander Makarov, Edgar Budza, Valerii Zaichenko
Dramaturg: Ruslan Stepanov
Sound design: Igor Lider
Light design: Elerin Tönne
Photo and video team: Anastasiia Lider, Sofia Kusainova, Artur Kriuk
Graphic design: Kadi Aare
Production and technical implementation: Estonian Dance Agency
Premiere: March 3, 2023 in the theater hall of the Estonian Dance Agency (Hobujaama 12, Tallinn)
Duration: 1h
DanceMENU (TantsuMENÜÜ under Estonian Dance Agency) is Estonian dance touring programme for rural communities. The purpose of DanceMENU is to bring dance to a new audience outside of the usual dance stages.
Supported by: Ministry of Culture, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Pakenditööstus
www.tantsuagentuur.ee
Dance Performance “Rhythmus”
Rhythmus is a tap dance and rhythm performance that shows the special aspects of tap dance. Rhythmus is bringing to the stage references from the performances of legendary tap dancers a hundred years ago, but also looking for something new – we see tap as a moving and energetic dance, but we also hear it as a musical style.
The performance looks at this through two characters, one with an anxiety disorder and the other with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). How do they manage to keep their disorders under control and help each other overcome difficulties through music and dance?
Director-choreographer: Allar Valge
Choreographer: Veronika Smolina
Dramaturg: Erik Richard Salumäe
Sound design: Kärt Anton
Stenography assistant: Nele Sooväli
Graphic design: Kadi Aare
Production and technical implementation: Estonian Dance Agency
Premiere: September 16, 2023 in the theater hall of the Estonian Dance Agency (Hobujaama 12, Tallinn)
Duration: 50 min
Performances: April 13, 14, 15 and June 11, 12 in the theater hall of the Estonian Dance Agency (Hobujaama 12, Tallinn)
DanceMENU (TantsuMENÜÜ under Estonian Dance Agency) is Estonian dance touring programme for rural communities. The purpose of DanceMENU is to bring dance to a new audience outside of the usual dance stages.
Supported by: Ministry of Culture, Estonian Cultural Capital, Pakenditööstus
,,Soledad’’ or ,,Loneliness’’ is a piece about the freedom that being alone gives us, but also about the barriers that we have to build between ourselves and the others. Being free inside our delimited space, we still have to face ourselves in its most direct and rawest form. Isolation in its duality could at the same time be calming and making us anxious, it could be a refuge or a motive for escaping it. Being a (flamenco) artist and spending hours upon hours alone, working on every small movement detail or sound, one also has to face their own doubts and fears. All this trouble just to later meet with other artists like themselves, enjoy and create together for a moment onstage and then disperse and go back to their familiar loneliness. But what makes some of us stay in isolation permanently?
,,Soledad’’ is a meeting place for flamenco culture and contemporary dance. Musicians from Spain, Canada and Estonia with a local flamenco dancer move through various stages and emotions created by loneliness.
Director, choreographer and performer: Ingrid Mugu
Dramaturgical consultant: Heili Lindepuu (ILIEH theater)
Musical design: Tjebbe Broek, Dennis Duffin, Indira Aparici Alcazar
Musicians: Dennis Duffin (flamenco and electric guitar), Indira Aparici Alcazar (vocals), Aneta Varts (percussion)
Stenography: Nele Sooväli
Lighting design: Chris Kirsimäe
Supported by: Cultural Ministry, Estonian Cultural Capital, Pakenditööstus
Duration: 50 min
CONTACT
Estonian Dance Agency theatre hall address:
SA Eesti Tantsuagentuur
Hobujaama 12, 10117 Tallinn
General contact: info@tantsuagentuur.ee
Artistic director of the dance theatre programme: Raido Bergstein
Starlight Cabaret artistic director: Liisi Org
Artistic director of ETA Kompanii: Julia Koneva
TantsuRUUM curator: Joanna Kalm, Eline Selgis
Creative Council: Raido Bergstein, Kristjan Kurm, Jane Miller-Pärnamägi
