Susanna Leinonen Company: RAW – Triple Bill
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Date
8.10-11.10.2025
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Duration
2 H 10 min (one intermission)
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Venue
Erkko Hall
Show times
Wed 8.10. at 19:00
Thu 9.10. at 19:00
Fri 10.10. at 19:00
Sat 11.10. at 14:00 & 18:00
Works and duration
No one, just your friend
Duration 26 min
Trickle, green oak
Duration 18 min
Intermission
Pain Killer
Duration approx. 50 min
Obs. the works are performed in reverse order at the show on 11.10. at 18.00.
In addition
Post-show audience discussion on Fri 10.10. after the performance
Obs.
Please note that the performance has parts with loud music.
Pain Killer includes intermittent flashing lights as well as intense graphic material.
Introduction
Three works. One evening. Only one Susanna Leinonen.
The Triple Bill opens with No One, Just Your Friend, Susanna Leinonen’s debut piece from the year 2000. The work dives into the movements of life and mind, revealing what happens when the facades of friendship collapse. The piece marked Susanna Leinonen’s breakthrough and brought her to the forefront of internationally notable Finnish choreographers.
Between the debut and her most recent work, the audience will see Leinonen’s iconic work Trickle, Green Oak. Originally commissioned by the Finnish National Ballet in 2003, this contemporary ballet takes the viewer into a mysterious world where the strength and vulnerability of the body intertwine.
The evening culminates in the world premiere of Leinonen’s Pain Killer. The work continues her exploration of the limits of the body and the experience of humanity. It invites us to view pain as part of the human condition and asks: what do we lose when we avoid it artificially? Pain Killer reflects on the alienation from one’s own body and experiences. What happens when we no longer face our feelings? How does it shape the individual, and how does it resonate more broadly in society?
Susanna Leinonen Company is one of the most internationally renowned Finnish contemporary dance companies. The company is maintained by the association Advanced Contemporary Dance and Ballet, whose goal is to strengthen the position of Finnish contemporary dance both domestically and internationally. Founded in 2001, the company is known for Susanna Leinonen’s distinctive, physical, and precise movement language, combined with carefully crafted visuality. Works by Susanna Leinonen Company have been performed in nearly 30 countries.
Susanna Leinonen made her international breakthrough in 2000 with her debut work No One, Just Your Friend. The piece attracted attention for its original movement language, visual refinement, and artistic uncompromisingness—elements that have since become Leinonen’s trademarks. Leinonen has created new works annually, and her choreographies have received widespread acclaim both in Finland and abroad. In addition to her own company, Leinonen has choreographed commissioned works for several international ballet and dance companies. She holds a Master’s degree in Dance from the Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy (2000). Her work has been recognized with several awards, such as the the Kaapeli Prize (2001), the Suomi Prize, Tanssiteko Prize (2004), and the City of Helsinki Cultural Award (2012).
Our work is supported by the City of Helsinki and the Ministry of Education and Culture. Thank you!
Credits
No one, just your friend
Choreography: Susanna Leinonen
Music: Tapani Rinne
Lighting Design :Pasi Pehkonen
Costume Design: Annette Tamminen
Set Design: Susanna Leinonen
Dancers: Katariina Luukas, Taru Pellinen, Joanna Salmikannas
Production: Zodiak - Center for new dance
Premiere 23.3.2000 The Finnish National Opera, Almi Hall
Trickle, green oak
Choreography: Susanna Leinonen
Music: Mia Erlin
Lighting Design: Olli-Pekka Koivunen
Costume Design: Erika Turunen
Set Design: Erika Turunen, Olli-Pekka Koivunen, Susanna Leinonen
Dancers: Ninni Niemikunnas, Katariina Luukas, Joanna Salmikannas, Marie da Silva
Production: The Finnish National Ballet
Premiere 31.10.2003 The Finnish National Opera & Ballet
Pain Killer
Choreography: Susanna Leinonen
Music: Kasperi Laine
Video Design: Ville Seppänen
Lighting Design: Teemu Nurmelin
Costume Design: Sari Nuttunen
Dancers: Rebekka Guðmundsdóttir, Atte Kilpinen, Kasperi Kolehmainen, Katariina Luukas, Taru Pellinen, Marie da Silva
Technical Production: Teemu Nurmelin & Marianne Lagus
Biographies
The dancers
Atte Kilpinen
Atte Kilpinen is the First Soloist of the Finnish National Ballet, as well as a dance artist and choreographer. During his career, he has interpreted numerous roles and performed with acclaimed companies such as the Hamburg Ballet, the Finnish National Ballet, Tero Saarinen Company, Susanna Leinonen Company, Pori Dance Company, Turku City Theatre, and Ballet Finland. Kilpinen’s piece Kohtauksia punaisesta Jumalasta premiered to a sold-out audience at the Helsinki Music Centre on March 8, 2024. His latest work, Kreutzersonaatti, will be performed in the autumn season of 2025 in several cities.
Joanna Salmikannas
Joanna Salmikannas studied dance at Helsinki Dance Institute’s special education program from 2011 to 2022, with majors in ballet and contemporary dance, completing the advanced syllabus in basic art education. During her studies, she participated in several dance competitions and worked with, among others, Susanna Leinonen and Kristian Lever. From 2023 to 2024 she attended the DART DSP intensive program in Berlin and performed in works by Anton Lachky and Joy Alpuerto Ritter. Since autumn 2024, Salmikannas has been an apprentice with the Theater Plauen-Zwickau dance company, performing in works by Sergei Vanaev and Lóránd Zachár.
Kasperi Kolehmainen
Kasperi Kolehmainen graduated as a dancer from the Finnish National Opera’s Ballet Academy in 2022. He currently dances with Susanna Leinonen Company, Pori Dance Company, and Tanssiteatteri Glims & Gloms. Kolehmainen has worked with choreographers such as Jorma Uotinen, Reija Wäre, and Carl Knif. He has also appeared in music videos, television productions, and other commercial projects. Alongside performing, Kolehmainen works as a choreographer for dance schools, creating works for students and dance enthusiasts of all ages.
Katariina Luukas
Katariina Luukas, originally from Lappeenranta, has been a professional dancer for nearly nine years. She began her career at the Finnish National Ballet, where she danced for four years. Since 2021, she has worked as a freelance dancer in both contemporary dance and ballet. Luukas has performed in works by choreographers Johanna Nuutinen, Emrecan Tanis, and Minna Tervamäki, as well as in productions of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. Internationally, she has performed in Rotterdam, Ankara, and Miami. In addition to dancing, she works as a choreographer and choreographer’s assistant and teaches ballet workshops for children. Most recently, she choreographed a piece for Isac Elliot’s arena concert.
Marie Da Silva
Marie Da Silva is a German-Portuguese contemporary dance artist based between Germany and Switzerland. She trained at the Zurich University of the Arts and has performed in productions across Europe, including at Theater Basel, MN Dance Company, Tanzhaus Basel, The Place London, and Biennale College Danza by Studio Wayne McGregor.
Ninni Niemikunnas
Ninni Niemikunnas is a freelance dancer based in Helsinki. She graduated as a dancer from the Tampere Conservatoire in spring 2020 and further developed her skills in Berlin by completing the one-year Dart DSP intensive training. During her studies, she performed in Dart Dance Company productions and worked with renowned choreographers such as Dor Mamalia, Dariusz Nowak, Blenard Azizaj, and Jiří Pokorný. Niemikunnas has also worked with Dance Theatre MD, Pori Dance Company, and Hanna Brotherus.
Rebekka Gudmundsdóttir
Rebekka Gudmundsdóttir is an Icelandic contemporary dancer trained at the Iceland National Ballet School and Codarts University of the Arts. She has collaborated with choreographers such as Sasha Waltz, Joseph Simon, Halla Ólafsdóttir, and Rósa Ómarsdóttir and completed an internship under the direction of Philip Berlin. Guðmundsdóttir graduated from the University of Iceland in 2025, and her practice is rooted in contemporary dance technique and improvisation, shaped by diverse movement styles and collaborative processes.
Taru Pellinen
Taru Pellinen ooriginally from Imatra, is a freelance dancer and dance teacher. She graduated in spring 2024 from the Arts Academy of Turku University of Applied Sciences. As a dancer, Pellinen has worked in various productions, contemporary dance pieces, and video and television productions, collaborating with choreographers such as Reija Wäre and Suvi Nieminen. She has taught dance since 2019 in the regions of Imatra, Turku, Jyväskylä, and Helsinki.
Team: No one, just your friend
Tapani Rinne
Tapani Rinne is an artist, composer and producer based in Helsinki. He is best known for his pioneering work with RinneRadio and the award-winning ambient world music duo Wimme & Rinne together with Sami yoik singer Wimme Saari. Rinne creates ambient jazz and ethno-techno, and his minimalist playing style is described as experimental, innovative, and often Nordic. In recent years, Rinne has also performed extensively as a solo artist. Using the bass clarinet and electronics, he creates atmospheric music, with soundscapes ranging from the rumble of a gravel pit to the calm of a gentle summer night. Rinne has also composed and performed music for numerous documentary and fiction films, for theatre, dance, and new circus works, installations, and performances, as well as for radio and tv.
Pasi Pehkonen
Pasi Pehkonen, originally from Kajaani, is a lighting designer and light artist who graduated with a Master’s degree in Theatre Arts (the Theatre Academy, TeaK) in 1994. Pehkonen has worked extensively as a lighting designer and technician, particularly in dance, music, and theatre. He has also created light installations and paintings and played bass and composed for the band Azma. His work focuses on the interplay between light and space in performing arts, integrating lighting into the visual storytelling of each production and often employing spatial solutions to enhance the overall experience.
Annette Tamminen
Annette Tamminen is a costume designer and stylist with extensive experience in television entertainment, events, and cultural productions. She has worked broadly with performers as well as large-scale visual concepts for productions.
Team: Trickle, green oak
Mia Erlin
Mia Erlin is a Helsinki-based artist and designer who works with sound, light, and various materials across many artistic disciplines. She began her career in the performing arts and has participated in productions of varying scales in theatre, dance, music, and visual arts in Finland and abroad. In recent years, her work has focused on permanent public artworks and installations. Erlin’s pieces are characterized by layering, an emphasis on experience, and deliberate contradictions. Her practice leaves room for chance and the discoveries it may bring. Improvisation is also a central method in her compositions and sound art, bringing a living, breathing quality to her works. Erlin holds a Master of Arts degree from the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki (2005) and has additionally studied Arts Management and Jazz singing at the Sibelius Academy as well as architectural lighting at Aalto University.
Olli-Pekka Koivunen
Olli-Pekka Koivunen earned his Master of Arts degree in lighting and sound design from the Theatre Academy in 2014. He has worked as a lighting master at Hämeenlinna City Theatre (1985–1994) and as a lighting master and designer at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet for 30 years. Koivunen has designed lighting for numerous theatre and opera productions as well as contemporary dance works at the National Ballet, collaborating with choreographers such as Per Jonsson, Jorma Uotinen, Sami Saikkonen, Marilena Fontoura, Tero Saarinen, George Balanchine, Glen Tetley, Susanna Leinonen, Virpi Pahkinen, Marjo Kuusela, and Jorma Elo. He also designed lighting for Maximiliano Guerra’s Don Quijote at the Stuttgart Ballet and Javier Torres’s Sleeping Beauty at the Prague National Ballet. Most recently, he designed the lighting for the Finnish National Ballet’s Beauty and the Beast.
Erika Turunen
Erika Turunen is one of Finland’s most prominent and internationally recognized costume designers. She has been designing costumes for the stage since 1990 and has collaborated with Susanna Leinonen Company, Tero Saarinen Company, Jorma Uotinen, Kenneth Kvarnström, Kenneth Greve, Javier Torres, Kaari Martin, and Reija Wäre, among others. Her designs for the Finnish National Opera include the ballets Sleeping Beauty The Hobbit, The Snow Queen, The Land of Kalevala, The Little Mermaid, La Vie en Rose and Giselle. In opera, her works include Juha, The Red Line and The Journey to Reims, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, The Rake's Progress, Circ Opera 2.0, Ring cycle and several contemporary dance productions. Turunen has received acclaim for her work with dance companies, and the influential dance publication Ballet Tanz has recognized her as one of today’s most creative costume designers.
Team: Pain Killer
Kasperi Laine
Kasperi Laine is a composer, lyricist, sound designer, and performing artist. His work can be heard on music albums, in documentary and short films, theatre and contemporary dance performances, at domestic music clubs and festivals, as well as in video and installation art— essentially across nearly all areas of the arts. He has collaborated with numerous Finnish and international artists, and his work has been awarded at the Prague Quadrennial (2015), Light Moves Festival, Chhatrapati Shijavi Film Festival, and with a Jussi Award (2020). He was nominated for the Teosto Prize for his album Vihapuheita ja Rakkauslauluja. In 2016, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture awarded him the Finland Prize for his artistically and socially significant work.
Ville Seppänen
Ville Seppänen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts (TeaK, Helsinki) and a Master’s degree in Film Arts (BFM, Tallinn). His visual designs have been seen on stages of institutional theatres and the independent scene across Finland and Europe. Seppänen has worked in theatre, contemporary dance, and opera as a lighting and video designer, set designer, and dramaturg. Beyond the stage, he has created installations, music videos, and documentary films. Seppänen values free thinking and radical art.
Teemu Nurmelin
Teemu Nurmelin is a lighting designer with extensive international experience since the 1990s in the performing arts. In Finland, he has designed for the Finnish National Theatre, and internationally he has worked in France, Sweden, Luxembourg, Georgia, Denmark, Italy, and Slovenia.
Sari Nuttunen
Sari Nuttunen, born in Turku and based in Sweden, is a costume designer, makeup artist, and wig master. She is graduated in stage and film design from Stockholm’s Dramatiska Institutet. Nuttunen has extensive experience in costume and visual design. After graduation, she joined the Royal Swedish Opera and subsequently worked for more than a decade at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. Since 2011, she has worked in the stage and film industries. In 2023, she was the head of the costume and makeup department at Uppsala City Theatre. Alongside her work, she is pursuing a degree in CSRD at the Nordic Textile Academy and has also completed a degree in Sustainable and Circular Textile Design at the same institution.