We are working at the Saari Residence on a new choreographic performance art piece titled Courtship Display (BIRDS OF PARADISE). The finished work will premiere in the autumn of 2026, and our residency period will focus on research, artistic exploration, and choreography development. The piece is choreographed by Tiia Kasurinen, who is also one of the performers, with the core team also including performer and producer Lauri Lohi, performer Kaisu Koittola, and performer and sound designer Tiikka Drama.

Courtship Display (Birds of Paradise) is a dance performance inspired by the mating dances of the birds of paradise of Oceania. The performers — dressed in Leevi Ikäheimo’s No Pain No Glamour costumes that explore masculinity — transform into utopian male birds through movement exercises and somatic practices. They perform seduction rituals and mating dances inspired by drag kings, the fighting video game Tekken 3, boy bands, and post-internet-era courtship rituals. Through both animalistic and human charm strategies, the piece examines themes such as masculinity, the gaze, power, and dominance hierarchies.

How do animalistic and human power relations, gender roles, and seduction strategies intersect on the contemporary stage? How can mating dances be embodied in the somatic human body? What do courtship rituals of male birds and humans have in common? What do these themes suggest about masculinity, dominance hierarchies, or power — and how do birds-of-paradise meet their audience?

A ten-minute pilot version of the piece premiered at the finals of the international choreography competition Dansé Élargie in Paris in June 2024, marking the first time a Finnish work reached the final.

During the residency, we will engage with drag king practices under the guidance of Lauri Lohi, conduct voice work exercises with Tiikka Drama, explore commercial dance with Kaisu Koittola, study the aesthetics of professional wrestling, watch documentaries on the birds-of-paradise of Oceania, and strengthen our collaboration as a freelance-based working group.

Follow the creation of the work:

https://tiiakasurinen.com

instagram.com/tiiagasolina