the weight of being sexy – Pimeä Hedelmä X Amanda & Lydia

The weight of being sexy delves into the experience of sex appeal, the performativity of it, and the corporeality these create.

In the piece the dancers explore the tensions, expectations, pleasures and insecurities of being sexy. The piece continues the collaboration of the band Pimeä Hedelmä and the queer-art duo Amanda & Lydia by entwining their practices in dance, choreography, and rap music.

Through the exploration of seduction the performers travel through different moods from highly performative to mundane. The premiere takes place at the Kutomo XS-festival. The light design is carried out by Luca Sirviö, the costume design by Joona Huotari, and the sound production by producer-DJ Olli Tiikkainen from Pimeä Hedelmä.

Want some red or white wine or…?

Duration: approximately 1 h
Age: 18
Language: Finnish, English translation available
Tickets: 20 € / 10 €, Lippu.fi
Loud sounds, possibly flashing lights. The performers move close to the audience, but do not touch them.

Choreography & performance: Kaisa Nieminen & Vane Virta (Pimeä Hedelmä), queer art duo Amanda & Lydia
Sound designer: Olli Tiikkainen (Pimeä Hedelmä)
Light designer: Luca Sirviö
Costume designer: Joona Huotari
Production & residencies: Ehkä production /Nykytaidetila Kutomo (Turku)
Funding: Ehkä ry, Taiteen edistämiskeskus

Amanda & Lydia is a 2015 founded, bold and unapologetic dance-/performance art duo that draws from the Queer- and Ballroom-culture. In the center of Amanda & Lydia’s art is sensual and soft aesthetic in hand with feminine power and confidence. Amanda & Lydia are also part of the performance group, Fem Queens of Finland.

Kaisa Nieminen is a dancer, choreographer and rapper in the band Pimeä Hedelmä. Her background is in street dance; hip hop, waacking/punking and this background can be seen in her artistic work. Nieminen graduated with an MA in Choreography from Inter-University for Dance Berlin (HZT) in 2019.

Vane Virta is a dancer, choreographer, rapper and an environmental activist. They are interested in the direct action within activism as well as the performative and artistic possibilities of it. From 2017 Virta holds a BA in Dance Performance from DOCH, Stockholm University of the Arts.

Olli Tiikkainen is a producer, composer and doctoral researcher. The musical production of Tiikkainen ranges from hiphop to electronic dance music and ambient. In Pimeä Hedelmä, Tiikkainen is a producer, dj and an occasional vocalist.

Luca Sirviö (she/her) is a Helsinki based lighting designer. She works mainly in the field of contemporary performance with interest in the overlap of genres and the oscillation between the recognizable and the unknown. Sirviö also makes and performs music with her band Teini-Pää.

Joona Huotari is a costume designer and artist that has worked in a wide range of projects since 2010. His work has reached many audiences through music videos, television, events, fashion, theatre, circus and opera.