Topi Lehtipuu turns to dance for Third Practice

Topi Lehtipuu appears in the digital premiere of Third Practice with the Tero Saarinen Company on Friday 19 March. The work brings Monteverdi madrigals to new operatic life through dance and design, with Lehtipuu dancing as well as singing, with the accompaniment of the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra.

In this interview he describes the production: 'The text is about love and the loss of love – how ephemeral it is. We have tried to find different expressions of this ephemerality, including visually.'

Some of the choreography is fixed but it allows for freedom. He explains, 'I improvise every performance so it's never the same, although there are certain things I tend to repeat. As a non-dancer, I give myself three principles for developing my own movements, in order to become a dancer. These are to be asymmetric; to feel how my skin is curious and wants to see and feel the air around it; and to be in the constant motion. These instructions allow me to sing easily, because everything remains smooth.'

Third Practice was given its premiere in Cremona, Italy, in 2019, and its Helsinki premiere has been postponed twice due to Coronavirus. It will be available online from 19 March to 6 April. Tickets are available here.