Choreography for nine dancers to Bach’s Goldberg Variations

Tuomo Railo’s Bach Project is a choreography for nine dancers. The piece features J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations interpreted by pianist Risto Lauriala.

The Bach project originated from improvised dance videos made by Tuomo Railo. Together with the dancers, Railo has deconstructed and reassembled the improvised dance so that the coincidental-like “freshly squeezed juice of dance” can be reproduced and duplicated for the nine dancers on the stage. The dancers – Jyrki Karttunen, Kasperi Kolehmainen, Taru Koski, Hanna Mönkäre, Alen Nsambu, Katri Soini, Mirva Vogt, Jussi Väänänen and Tuomo Railo – were born in five different decades. Choreographer Railo did not make this choice consciously, but it shows the pluralism of his artistic goals as well as his interest in the dimensions of the expression through movement of dancers of different ages.

The piece includes Railo’s animations as large-scale projections. The abstract animations take place simultaneously with the dance and music. The vivid colors of the animation recur in Karoliina Koiso-Kanttila’s costumes and the geometry of the animations continues in the lighting design of Pasi Pehkonen.

"The pandemic and the war had an impact on the atmosphere of the piece: With this piece, I want to create an uplifting experience that gives hope. I avoided narrative methods. The scenes of the piece do not need to be interpreted. There is little dramaturgy in the piece, but occasionally, the presence and interaction of the dancers may express individual moments and joy." – Tuomo Railo