Filming contemporary dance in the wilderness of Svalbard is not without its challenges, from near-freezing temperatures to potential encounters with polar bears. Thomas Freundlich and Valtteri Raekallio discuss the making of the dance film North Horizon in this video interview.

Full resolution version:
The Making of North Horizon

Preview trailer of a new dance film by Thomas Freundlich and Valtteri Raekallio, filmed in Svalbard in 2008 and completed in January 2010.

Full resolution version:
North Horizon - dance film preview

More info on the project:
www.north-horizon.fi

Thomas Freundlich is choreographing the musical theatre play Kirkan lahje for Kotka City Theatre. The play, based on the music of the late and legendary Finnish pop star Kirka, will premiere at theatre restaurant Kairo in Kotka on August 29th, 2009.

The production is written by Esko Janhunen and directed by Ilkka Laasonen. Click here to download the flyer (in Finnish).

Thomas Freundlich collaborates again with Skaala Opera Helsinki on A Madrigal Opera, a rarely performed chamber work by Philip Glass, set to text by Finnish poet Lauri Otonkoski. The piece, performed by six singers, two musicians and two dancers, will be premiered at Helsinki's Astoria hall on April 21st, 2009.

More info on A Madrigal Opera

In April, Thomas Freundlich also appears with Skaala Opera's guest performance of Turing Machine Opera at the NOA - New Opera Action festival in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Thomas Freundlich is premiering a new solo, Futureproof, at the 13th International Solo-Dance-Theatre Festival in Stuttgart, Germany. The festival is held at the Treffpunkt Rotebühlplatz culture center from March 12th to 15th, 2009.

Futureproof is one of 18 dance works nominated for the competition. Mr. Freundlich's work was previously seen at the festival in 2005, when the solo Dreamcatcher, performed by Tanja Kuisma, was premiered there. Dreamcatcher won the 2nd Prize in Dancing and the Audience Prize of the 2005 festival.

More information on the 13th International Solo-Dance-Theatre Festival

More information on Futureproof   

Actuator is guesting at the Tanssin Aika 2008 contemporary dance festival in Jyväskylä on Saturday, September 27th 2008. The work is performed together with Vera Nevanlinna's solo work News.

For more information on the festival (in Finnish), see www.ismodance.fi/tanssinaika.

Thomas Freundlich is guesting with Helsinki Skaala Opera in the title role of The Manson Family Opera by John Moran. The production will be performed at the Lainsuojattomat 2008 theatre festival in Pori, Finland, on September 3rd, 2008.

Further information (in Finnish) will be available on the Lainsuojattomat festival home page.

Click here for more info on the production.

Yle Television presented a 20-minute feature on Thomas Freundlich and the making of the Actuator dance work in the K-Reppu series. The program was broadcast on Yle TV1 on Tuesday, May 13th at 19:00, with a rerun the following day, Wed May 14th at 23:00.

Thomas Freundlich is choreographing a new work for dancer and industrial robot. The piece, titled Actuator, will be premiered on May 14th, 2008 at the Z-in-motion festival hosted by the Zodiak Centre for New Dance in Helsinki, Finland.

Click here for more info.