The Days is full-length duet work commissioned and performed by Finnish performers, Maria Nurmela & Ville Oinonen. At their invite, English choreographer and designer Theo Clinkard has conceived a work that asks them to become co-authors through a practice that has to be written anew at every performance.

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The Days builds up a world of ever shifting negotiations, complex feelings and comic disconnection constructed from a singular physical concept that sustains and evolves throughout the work. Moment to moment, as the physical parameters shift, the two bodies in relentless negotiation seem to encompass the complexity of sharing a life with another. The unfolding narrative holds up as mirror to our own lives, questioning the way we navigate power and how we address our desire for connection.

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Having toured internationally since its premiere in 2018, The Days has proven to be a deeply resonant work for all kinds of audiences, offering a poetic and intimate encounter that entrusts the communicative power of the moving body.

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MORE THAN A PERFORMANCE - DANCE WORKSHOPS TAILORED FOR SENIOR DANCE ENTHOUSIASTS 

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The project is more than a simple performance. The Days seeks to engage with local communities and diffuse the hierarchies between different bodies as performers and movers. On stage, Nurmela and Oinonen are joined by two honoured community participants, a man and a woman aged over 65-years, in each city of performance.

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In each city / location, Nurmela and Oinonen lead workshops for movers who are 65 years or older and from these sessions, two people are invited to become part of the performance itself.

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This element of the production has proved to be incredibly rich for all involved, offering much needed creative and social engagement opportunities for those most vulnerable. The inclusion of these elders lends the duet a tangible relatability, acting as a reminder for audiences that this could be anyone’s story.

The Days shows that contemporary dance and performance belong to every body and every age.

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The Days deals with themes that are recognizable and poignant for the lives of many of us, such as the search for connection and the physical communication between man and a woman, but breaking the old power balances and stereotypes. It’s an accessible performance that speaks to many different audiences and spectators, regardless of their level of past experience with contemporary dance.

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WATCH THE TRAILER 

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