Satu Tuittila & Co: Small and Important

A dance performance for primary school children that introduces the lives of flower meadow inhabitants and pollinating insects: bees, bumblebees, flower flies, butterflies, and beetles. The performance combines artistic work and scientific research, approaching the subject with energy and playfulness through dance. Interactive educational material aims to convey knowledge in an accessible way.

The performance highlights the importance of pollinators: 90 % of the world's wild flowering plants and 75 % of cultivated plants depend at least partly on pollinators. The number of pollinating insects has declined at an alarming rate in recent times, and habitat destruction, pesticide use, intensive agriculture, and the impoverishment of urban nature continue to threaten them. The performance encourages personal observation and small-scale nature-supporting actions in the local environment.

Concept and choreography: Satu Tuittila
Dancers: Jonna Aaltonen and Ilona Salonen/Jenny Kallio, performer Satu Tuittila
Lighting design: Vespa Laine
Visual design and costumes: Kirsi Vaara
Composition and sound design: Mikko Väärälä
Educational material and workshops: Satu Tuittila, Elli Herranen, dancers and the Disappearing Nature research group

Duration: approximately 45-50 minutes. The performance is wordless; narration is provided in the audience's preferred language.