Premiere of Vauvavaltameri – Baby Ocean
- A new dance performance for babies and their families

The autumn season of OSIRIS Theatre opens with a brand-new creation for babies and their companions: Vauvavaltameri – Baby Ocean, a dance performance and sensory experience co-created and performed by Maria Nurmela and Riikka Siirala.

The premiere performances will take place at Annantalo – Cultural Centre for Children and Youth in Helsinki from 10–13 September 2025, followed later in the autumn by performances at Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth and other venues across Finland. Baby Ocean is designed as a touring production and will continue its journey nationally and internationally in 2026–2027.

Vauvavaltameri – Baby Ocean invites the very youngest audiences (0–18 months) and their caregivers on a gentle, poetic voyage to the origin of life – the primordial ocean, where single-celled organisms from the Eocene era float, move, and transform. The work creates an immersive and empathic space where one can wonder, engage, or simply relax within the flow of the performance. The wordless performance combines dance, music, visual design, and interaction, offering a unique, multisensory experience for babies and adults alike.

For Maria Nurmela, Vauvavaltameri marks her first creation specifically designed for babies. She describes the process as a deeply fascinating exploration into performing arts created for a very special audience — one that perceives and responds to movement, sound, and presence in the most direct and authentic ways.
The collaboration with choreographer Riikka Siirala, composer and sound designer Suvi Isotalo, costume and props designer Niina Pasanen, and lighting designer Nicolas Salo has been an incredible and inspiring artistic journey, where each artist’s unique sensibility has enriched the world of the piece.

Maria also expresses her gratitude to OSIRIS Theatre, whose long-standing commitment to making art accessible to all audiences provides a meaningful foundation for this production. “I am deeply thankful that OSIRIS Theatre, which does such important work in promoting the accessibility of art, is our producer and partner in this project.”

Concept, choreography & performance: Maria Nurmela & Riikka Siirala
Sound design & composition: Suvi Isotalo
Costume & props design: Niina Pasanen
Lighting design: Nicolas Salo
In collaboration with: Annantalo, Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth
Produced by: OSIRIS Theatre / Loiske Ensemble
Supported by: City of Helsinki

Welcome to our performances!

More info: https://osiristeatteri.fi/en/events/baby-ocean/