Magician

Sirén’s movement language effectively combines repetition and a feeling of improvisation which wonderfully express the character’s shamanhood. The work is also visually very impressive with regards to both the lights and the background projections. They fit perfectly with the tension and twists in different scenes, which also contain subtle humour. … Aaltokoski, naked from the waist up, runs with his knees bent, moving forward in small increments, his hands making intensely engaging movements, or he transforms into a freely dancing character with a swaying pelvis and shaking waist. Aaltokoski’s dancing and his expressiveness throughout the piece is fantastic to watch.

The performance lived up to its name: at once both a meditative dive into a human being and a powerful exhibition of Aaltokoski’s diverse movement skills, in which both the smallest and quickest movement came alive and was controlled. The work also moved across a very large span of time and association, from a mythical past to a contemporary urban pulse, or the timeless silence of the future.

Artist professor Alpo Aaltokoski, who was the artistic director of the Full Moon Dance Festival in the 1990s, is an artist through and through. His imposing, mystical physicality and presence is impressive. You just can’t look away. … Aaltokoski’s experience makes him a brilliant mover. He has the ability to move in a refined, articulate and fluent manner, but he gets close to the stage just as quickly. He is able to take his dance seriously and give it his all.

Fire beats as jazz tango and Aaltokoski freed himself up to the kind of ecstatic movement that is usually only seen in animations. Even technically, the movement is astonishingly difficult, but Aaltokoski made it beautiful and fun. The wind seemed to be blowing through the soul, and with the help of blue lighting Aaltokoski turned into an ice king. Cold numbing air is a slightly frightening element, but it was also quite majestic. Magician is an impressive collaborative work by Sirén, Aaltokoski and the whole team! A man creates a magic circle on the stage which it is almost impossible to take your eyes off. His talent for dealing with long movement series, dynamic changes and space is exceptional. Aaltokoski’s work as a dancer is precise and uncompromising, right down to the last muscle fibre.