Independent dance festival opens with cross-disciplinary performances

Estonia’s Independent Dance Festival opens with “Koreograafia+,” a series pairing dancers with people from other fields, ERR reports. Over 10 days, the festival will bring eight performers and collectives from several countries to Tallinn.

Performance artist Anumai Raska has teamed up with skateboarder, DJ and graffiti artist Lauri Täht. Performance and sound artist Britt Kõrsmaa will share the stage with veteran voice doctor Ülle Kirss. Writer and musician Jan Kaus and choreographer Elle Viies will explore how the probable can become improbable through different media.

Kaus said the performance offered a chance to let go of literature and enter unfamiliar territory. Täht said he accepts projects outside his usual interests. He sees similarities between dance and skateboarding, both of which involve coordinated movement. On a skateboard, he said, people perform these movements unconsciously.

Pille-Triinu Maiste, creative producer at Sõltumatu Tantsu Lava, said the series is intended to bring people together for a collective celebration. “Dance is a collective activity: we come together and celebrate all of this,” she said.