Kalle Nio & Fernando Melo: Tempo

The stage performance Tempo explores time – its perception, acceleration, deceleration, and eventual end. At the heart of the performance is an apparently insignificant event that takes on grand proportions, revealing the fragility of life.

Tempo marks the first collaboration between magician and visual artist Kalle Nio and choreographer Fernando Melo. The performance is based on a text by Harry Salmenniemi, as well as wordless scenes built around dance and stage illusions, where time slows down, reverses, and comes to a halt. Tempo prompts questions about how we truly experience time and in what ways it can be understood. At the same time, it confronts the audience with their own temporality. The music for the performance is composed by Samuli Kosminen.

Tempo is the second collaboration between Nio, Salmenniemi, and Kosminen. Their previous stage work Nopeussokeus premiered at Kiasma Theatre in 2010 and was subsequently performed in twelve theaters across seven countries and in five languages. Nio and Salmenniemi also created the film installation Yön for the Mänttä Art Festival in 2022.

Sweden-based Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo, who works internationally, has crafted a choreography that defies both gravity and time for three exceptional dancers. Slovenian dancer and puppetry artist Barbara Kanc, Italian dancer Luigi Sardone, and Swedish dancer-acrobat Winston Reynolds move between the realms of dance, theater, and acrobatics. Both the movements of the performers and the set design push the boundaries of what is possible – and go beyond them.

The performance is an international co-production. In Finland, it is produced by WHS in collaboration with Helsinki Festival. In Slovenia, the production partner is LGL, the National Puppet Theatre. The piece is supported by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation and the Saastamoinen Foundation.

CREW:

Kalle Nio, Director
Kalle Nio is a magician, visual artist, and stage director whose works combine magic, visual art, experimental film, circus, and visual theatre. His group WHS is one of Finland’s most internationally active performing arts groups, with performances in over 200 theatres across more than 40 countries. Nio has received multiple awards in the fields of magic, visual arts, and stage art. He holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Arts Helsinki.
Nio has extensive experience as a director, producer, and performer of international stage productions. His works have been produced by institutions such as Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, Théâtre de la Cité internationale Paris, São Luiz Teatro Municipal Lisbon, Helsinki Festival, EMMA, Kiasma, and Kumu.

Fernando Melo, Choreography
Brazilian-born Fernando Melo received a scholarship at the age of sixteen to study at the Ballet School of the Vienna State Opera. Since then, he has lived in Europe, working as both dancer and choreographer, creating works for stages worldwide.
Now based in Sweden, Melo has choreographed for leading dance companies such as GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, Skånes Dansteater, and Ballet Hispanico New York. He has also collaborated with La Monnaie opera house (Brussels) and Royal Danish Opera (Copenhagen). Melo has created several dance films and is known for his interdisciplinary approach, often drawing inspiration from stage illusions.

Harry Salmenniemi, Script
Harry Salmenniemi is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Finnish literature. He has published five poetry collections, several short story collections, and three novels.
Salmenniemi has worked as editor-in-chief of the poetry magazine Tuli & Savu and as an editor at the poetry publisher Poesia. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Helsinki and has also studied in Rome and Melbourne. In addition to his books, Salmenniemi is known for his interdisciplinary collaborations. He has received numerous awards, and his texts have been translated into more than ten languages.

Samuli Kosminen, Music and Sound Design
Samuli Kosminen is one of Finland’s leading rhythm musicians. He has collaborated as a drummer, percussionist, producer, and composer with a wide range of Finnish and international artists, including Björk, Olafur Eliasson, Pekka Kuusisto, Volker Bertelmann, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Jonsi, Kronos Quartet, Emiliana Torrini, Kimmo Pohjonen, Jóhann Jóhannsson, WHS, and Múm. He has composed music for stage works, films, TV series, and art installations, and has received several awards, including a Jussi Award.

Georgina Spencer, Costume Design
Georgina Spencer is a London-based costume designer and visual artist with a background in fashion, theatre, and performance art. She has worked as a costume technician at the Royal Opera House and designed costumes for The Royal Ballet Draftworks and Gandini Juggling, among others. Her work has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Dazed, Show Studio, and WWD.

Johannes Hallikas, Lighting Design
Johannes Hallikas has worked extensively as a lighting designer and lighting/stage technician in Finland and abroad. He has collaborated with several groups, including WHS, Race Horse Company, Joona Halonen, and Susanna Leinonen Company. Hallikas currently serves as the Head of Lighting at Imatra Theatre.

PERFORMERS:

Barbara Kanc
Barbara Kanc is a versatile performer, choreographer, and dance teacher known for her dynamic artistic expression and collaborative working style. She graduated from Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, where she received the Simone Michelle Award for her choreography, before moving into interdisciplinary performance art. Since 2010, Kanc has been based in Slovenia, working with esteemed choreographers and touring internationally.

Winston Reynolds
Winston Reynolds specializes in acrobatic dance and physical theatre, incorporating elements from martial arts, gymnastics, breakdance, and capoeira. A graduate of Circomedia and ACAPA, Reynolds focuses on acrobatic partner work and collective artistic expression. He has collaborated with circus and dance artists such as Alexander Vantournhout and Yoann Bourgeois. Reynolds is also a member of Ferus Animi // Terra Nova, a collective engaged in interdisciplinary research on human physiology and performance.

Luigi Sardone
Luigi Sardone graduated from Codarts in Rotterdam and began his career with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, performing in works by Marco Goecke and Ed Wubbe, among others. In 2015, he transitioned to freelance work and has since collaborated with numerous European and Asian groups, including Landerer & Company and ConTrust Collective Dresden. Sardone is currently a core member of Landerer & Company and continues his diverse international stage career.

Concept: Nio, Melo & Salmenniemi
Direction: Kalle Nio
Choreography: Fernando Melo
Text: Harry Salmenniemi
Performers: Barbara Kanc, Winston Reynolds, Luigi Sardone
Music and Sound Design: Samuli Kosminen
Costume Design: Georgina Spencer
Lighting Design: Johannes Hallikas
Stage Manager: Hedda Liukkala
Lighting Manager: June Horton-White
Props: Matti Niinimäki, Sami Paavola, Kalle Nio
Tour Production: Axel Satgé / Yellow Everything
Photography and Trailer: Kalle Nio
Production: WHS / Kalle Nio

Co-Production:
Helsinki Festival
Lutkovno Gledališče Ljubljana, Slovenia

Support:
Alfred Kordelin Foundation
Saastamoinen Foundation