The whisper of water

Ama Kyei: The Whisper of Water (Finland-Sweden-Ghana)

Sat 14 March at 13:00 & 15:00 language (Bravo! Festival opening), Stoa Helsinki
Sat 21 March at 3 pm in Finnish & 5 pm in Swedish, Vuotalo, Helsinki
Sun 22 March at 11:30 am in Finnish, WeeGee Exhibition Center, Espoo ( free, no reservations)

Daycare and school performances:
Fri 13 March at 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m . in Finnish, Stoa, Helsinki
Thu 19 March at 9:30 a.m. & 10:45 a.m. in Swedish, Vindängen, Espoo
Fri 20 March at 10 a.m. in Swedish, LillaLuckan, Helsinki. Reservations: barnkultur@luckan.fi

The performance can also be seen at the New Children's Hospital during the festival week.

Duration approx. 30 min.
Recommended age: 3–7 years
Language: Finnish / Swedish / English

Veden kuiskaus (The Whisper of Water) will premiere at the Bravo! festival.

The Whisper of Water is an interactive dance performance for children aged 3–7 and children with special needs up to elementary school age. The work was inspired by water researcher M. Emoto's book The Hidden Messages of Water, in which the researcher describes how, in his studies, water formed beautiful ice crystals when it heard beautiful and encouraging words, prayers, or music. The work was also inspired by Mami Wata and Vellamo. Mami Wata is the West African goddess of water, who reminds us of the sacred and life-giving power of water. Vellamo is the goddess of water in Finnish mythology. The work bears traces of the Ghanaian storytelling tradition, in which magic and dance are common means of communication.

The choreographer and performer Kyei's dance background lies in street dance and traditional West African dance. Kyei studied dance at the Stockholm University of the Arts (Sweden), Åsa Folk High School (Sweden), and École des sables (Senegal). In addition, Kyei has studied dance in social dance contexts in Ghana, Benin, and Brazil.

The dance in the work is based on Kyei's movement language. The set design is by multidisciplinary artist Wanda Holopainen. The set includes a textile work inspired by water crystals and the mythology of Mami Wata and Vellamo. The music for the work was composed by Sophia Mitiku, Saban Ramadani, and Diva Cruz. The work was funded by Konstnärsnämnden (Sweden).

Choreographer, performer: Ama Kyei
Set design: Wanda Holopainen
Music: Sophia Mitiku, Saban Ramadani, and Diva Cruz
Photo: Naomi Holopainen