s this a dagger I see before me? Not at all. Macbeth is centre-stage and thrusting a hand towards a juggler’s ring instead of a weapon. A handful of rings are then fashioned into a crown that is precariously balanced atop the acrobat’s head. There are no other props, and not a damned spot of stage blood, in this uncommon take on Shakespeare’s tragedy. Each member of the seven-strong cast plays Macbeth, some even juggling the title role and Lady M in the same scene.
This democratic spirit pervades their headquarters, too: directly across the hallway from the administrative office is the company’s rehearsal studio, huge windows letting dancers and desk workers clearly see each other. It sends an important message at a time when dance’s traditional top-down power structures are being interrogated. “This has been our ethic from the beginning: we are equal,” says Autio.
London played a key role in the company’s success. The enthusiastic response to their performances in 2001 at Queen Elizabeth Hall helped them make the case for funding from the Finnish government. The company had survived without any such assistance since it started in 1996 and relied heavily instead on what Autio calls Saarinen’s “fan club” from his earlier career as a ballet dancer.