Baltic performing arts to take over Helsinki in June 2023

From June 7th to 10th 2023 Kanuti Gildi SAAL, New Theatre Institute of Latvia, and Lithuanian Dance Information Centre are co-curating the festival Baltic Take Over in Helsinki.

Baltic Take Over sounds like the beginning of an anecdote – Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian enter a theater. Is this an attempt to find Baltic identity or to export Baltic performing arts? A geopolitical lecture? Well, Baltic Take Over is a festival, a radical experiment, a crash course on Baltic arts, and the destination of a road trip from Lithuania to Helsinki. Curators from each country have invited artists from all three countries to take over the city of Helsinki.

When talking about the Baltics it’s hard to ignore the question “What is this Baltic identity?”. The keyword ‘Eastern European’ is not exotic anymore and Post-Soviet as a marketing article is awfully outdated. Is Baltics merely a geopolitical framing, shared culture and history, or common taste in arts? Apart from the Baltic human chain and coastlines of amber, is there anything else that could form “an identity”?

It’d be impossible to define the Baltic art scene or to put a finger on a general topic or an aesthetic. Therefore, by admitting to being completely different from each other, Baltic Take over is additionally an honest attempt to construct an updated Baltic identity and shift the way Baltics are perceived by the rest of Europe. Sometimes a foreign gaze is necessary to see clearly – that’s why the Australian-born curator and producer Bek Berger took the matter into her own hands by initiating the festival Baltic Take Over.

The festival provides contexts in which to present Baltic work, under the lens of Baltic curators. The festival will be joined in this challenge by four Helsinki-based venues: Kiasma / URB Festival, Annantalo, Viirus Theatre, Mad House Helsinki with the help from Eskus, Takamo, Tanssin Talo, TINFO and Circus Dance Finland.

Baltic Take Over is equally directed towards the diverse audience of Helsinki and the participating artists. For two years all nine artist collectives have come together to meet each other at assemblies, share practices and experiences.

Artists presented:

• Anna-Marija Adomaityte / Cie A M A (LT)
• Be kompanijos / Be company (LT)
• Johhan Rosenberg (EE)
• KVADRIFRONS (LV)
• Karolin Poska (EE)
• LAUKKU (LV)
• Liisa Saaremäel (EE)
• Povilas Bastys / Miss Plastica (LT)
• Sansusī (LV)

Full Programme of events will be announced on April 12th 2023.

Read more at the homepage of Baltic Take Over.