Janina Rajakangas - Venus
in collaboration with Moving in November festival
What is it like to be a girl in the 2020s? In her performance Venus, Janina Rajakangas explores with four teenage girls the erotization of youth. The piece delves into the role that outsiders play in shaping our perceptions of beauty and the value placed in a girl's life. By addressing the everyday feminist battles had by youth, Venus forces the ghosting needy subject to fall (for a moment) and draws the outlines of Venus again.
Venus is honest, humble and kind, but also dobey, problematic and loud. The portrayal of Venus in this piece is multifaceted, because girliness itself is. Girls don't fit one mold. What began as a project between a mother and daughter has blossomed into a creation comprising poems, songs, and dance performed by four teenagers. Janina Rajakangas has crafted the texts for this piece in collaboration with the performers, based on their shared conversations. The development of Venus primarily took place outside of school hours, during evenings, holidays and weekends.
After performing Over your fucking body in 2019 at Moving in November, Janina Rajakangas is back at the festival with Venus, which premiered at Baltic Circle in 2022.
The work is part of the Moving in November festival 2.-12.11.2023. As part of the festival, there will be an open discussion with the invited artists and local host called Soup Talk on 11.11. at noon at Caisa.
Choreographer and director: Janina Rajakangas
Choreographer's assistant: Maija Reeta Raumanni
Founding idea: Volta Rajakangas-Moussaoui
Co-choreographers and performers: Natalia Foster, Mea Holappa, Seela Merenluoma, Volta Rajakangas-Moussaoui
Scenic and lighting design: Alina Pajula
Costume designer: Kirsi Gum
Sound designer: Tuuli Kyttälä
Producer: Ulrika Vilke
Partners in the premiere season: Arts Promotion Centre, Davvi - Centre for Performing Arts, Regional Dance Centre of Western Finland, Ehkä-production
Partners for the tour: the Arts Promotion Centre, Kari Mattila Foundation, Moving in November Festival, Ehkä-Production, Cultural Services of the city of Porvoo.
Visit in collaboration with Mad House Helsinki
Photo: Tani Simberg
DATES
10.11. at 17:00
11.11. at 17:00
12.11. at 15:00
LOCATION
Mad House Helsinki, Lintulahdenkatu 3, Helsinki
DURATION
1h
LANGUAGE
English
TICKETS
5-30€ Mad House ticket shop
or Moving in November festival pass
ATTENTION
The work deals with sexual harassment. The texts used in the harassment scene are documentary, meaning that every message spoken out has been sent to the child online. The piece contains loud noises by shouted out sounds. Earplugs are at your disposal.
