AGING IS BEAUTIFUL
WE ARE BREAD
HANNA BROTHERUS
Dancer, director and choreographer Hanna Brotherus is without a doubt one of the top names in Finnish contemporary dance. In addition to being artistically resolute and exceptionally inventive, she is an artist with a clearly original voice. Her work is constantly addressing and probing the prevalent questions of society.
Brotherus is a pioneer in community stage art, with an extraordinary ability to unite different groups of people and collaborators. Her partners have, among others, included the Finnish National Opera, the Helsinki City Theatre, the Tampere Worker’s Theatre TTT and the Finnish National Theatre. In her work, Brotherus has managed to unreservedly involve both cutting-edge artistic professionals, recovering addicts, daycare children, the elderly and many more.
She has been crossing the borders between art and well-being long before any similar cross-sectional programs were even mentioned in Finland. For Brotherus, this intersection is a natural choice: each theme is founded on actual surrounding circumstances, and every working group is created differently based on attributes and age. The authenticity and presence of the performers is therefore always tangible and distinctly, artistically personal – simultaneously fragile and powerful.
”My passion is to join together different people from different backgrounds and age groups. I believe in intuition, in the power of the touch and presence”.
Mission
My work is focused sincerity, human compassion and being seen. Apart from the stage works addressing political and societal issues I maintain an expertise in bodywork. Together with medical professionals, I also develop new methods of working with the body, combining artistic work with established medical practices.
Vision
My efforts in humanistic and prominently bodily work is recognized and renowned both nationally and internationally. The lifespans of my stage productions are long, and they leave a permanent mark on both performers and spectators. My work touches people deeply and changes the world, while still maintaining artistic credibility.
Values
Corporeality
For me the body, our corporeality, is the center of all things, and therefore at the heart of my work. I think everything in life begins and ends with the body. Everything we carry with us we incorporate in our bodies. I believe everyone is their own expert.
Passion
My work is driven by a profound passion for dance, for corporeality and human compassion. As an artist I’m ambitious, constantly moving forward, looking to create truthful and meaningful art through genuine encounters between people.
Authenticity
Authenticity is an important foundation for all my artistic work. I choose subjects that are somehow personal to me, but also resonate with the private lives of the performers and their way of existing in the world. Humanity, compassion and sincerity are always present in my work.
Elegance
I see beauty everywhere. I want to show what’s hidden, the fragile beauty, by presenting different bodies, different stories and different histories. I want to create compositions that reveal different shades of humanity.
Equality
Every member of my team and my audience has an equal position and is treated impartially. Equality is an important value for me also in a societal sense and my work is focused on supporting this principle.