Swang Song

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SWAN SONG explores the nuances of space, time, and dimension through the interaction of dancers Sally Davison and Gunilla Sjövall, whose 15-year collaboration has shaped the Finnish inclusive dance field. With a combined 133 years of life, influenced by disability, age, and marginalization, both have continued dancing at an age when it’s typically abandoned, driven by their shared passion for making dance accessible. 

The performance is a journey of desires and motivations, shaped by the dancers’ biology, history, and society, culminating in change and release. Rehearsed remotely in 2021, the piece finally premiered in March 2022 after pandemic delays.

When I die, life gets me. Things become formless, wings shed their feathers and become featherless wings. My hand, your hand – “I know this hand” – a featherless wing that carries the sky. “I know what it is to listen to this hand. I feel the softness of skin.” – Georgie Goater and performers (Sally Davison & Gunilla Sjövall)

Working group:
Performers: Sally Davison, Gunilla Sjövall
Mentors: Georgie Goater, Maija Mustonen, Rea
Sound design: Riku-Pekka Kellokoski
Lighting design: Sofia Palillo
Costumes and sets: Heli Hietala
Video and photo: Rea
Venue: Monitoimitila O.
Producer: Sally Davison / Raila Knuuttila

Two women are pictured in an open space with a rug in the middle of the area. One woman is laying face down next to the rug and the other woman is sitting in a wheelchair near the back wall.
  • Swang Song scene
  • Swang Song scene
  • Swang Song scene

Video

Video Description: Work in progress