SAT 26 September, 12:00–16:00
SUN 27 September, 12:00–16:00
Location: Quo Vadis, Haukilahdenkatu 2 d, Helsinki
SESSIOT OVAT NYT TÄYNNÄ! VOIT ILMOTTAUTUA JONOTUSLISTALLE!
THE SESSION ARE NOW FULL! YOU CAN STILL SIGN UP FOR THE WAITING LIST!
Register by filling out this form by Monday 21 September.
Questions and possible cancelations: teatteri@quovadis.fi
Pathic practice – Sessions for the performer’s craft
The word “pathic” derives from the Greek word “pathos,” referring to experience, feeling, and affect. For me, “pathic practice” is a practice of tuning the body into a state of total sensing and opening the boundary between internal experience and the world, so that the inner and outer are sensed as flowing into one another. The practice also involves exploring the formation of boundaries: how to move from a pathically attuned state back into the realm of social boundaries, and how these boundaries might come into view differently through the practice.
– Teo Ala-Ruona
In these sessions facilitated by Teo Ala-Ruona, we will search for metaphysical transformations and develop methods of performer’s art.
Pathic practice is Ala-Ruona’s synthesis of psychophysical and theoretical-philosophical practices developed through his performance work, which he continuously develops in close dialogue with the people he works with.
Central to Ala-Ruona’s performer’s practice are different methods of using the voice, particularly growling; touching taboos and the abject; altering states of consciousness and transforming the body’s internal experience, from which different forms of movement and voice begin to arise; physical techniques of twisting and distortion; as well as amplifying internal affects through facial expression and the generation of absurd characters. In the Pathic practice sessions, we will explore dances, movements, and characters that emerge through these methods.
We will practice inviting characters into the body and the process of becoming and dancing as a character; places where the self can fracture through a character; the shedding of social masks; different registers of the gaze; techniques of audience contact; moving through embarrassment and pathos; as well as touching and being touched.
The sessions consist of solo, partner, and collective exercises, asking how we might generate experiences of connection and continuity between one another, the audience, and our own inner experience of being a performer.
We will also watch one another perform and give each other feedback. We will discuss performance and the questions that trouble us about it, opening up the sensitive, transgressive, and difficult experiences of being a performer. Together, we will seek to refine and deepen our knowledge of the art of performing.
INFO
The sessions are free of charge. Participation is limited to ten people per session and we take people in the order they register. If you sign up but are unable to attend, please cancel your registration so that someone else on the waiting list can take your place.
We ask everyone to write a short motivation letter as part of the registration process. However, the motivation letter will not determine who is offered a place; places in the sessions will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Register by filling out this form by Monday 21 September.
Questions: teatteri@quovadis.fi
Accessibility: Unfortunately, the space is not wheelchair accessible. There are two sets of stairs at the entrance, one of which is steep. The space has an accessible toilet.
The sessions are open to anyone working in the performing arts. The sessions will be held in either Finnish or English, depending on the participants’ needs.
The first two sessions will take place in autumn 2026, with sessions continuing in spring 2027. You can participate in either the Saturday or Sunday session, or both. Please indicate which day(s) you would like to attend when registering.
WELCOME!
The workshop is part of Quo Vadis and the QVUG project’s initiative of Radical Hospitality, and is organised in collaboration with Teo Ala-Ruona. During the autumn 2026, we offer participants free, facilitated workshops and sessions that provide opportunities to come together, learn new things, share their own practices, and connect with new colleagues.
We practise hospitality by offering different ways to share and strengthen professional skills. In return, we hope participants will engage with the course programmes and contribute to a vibrant exchange of artistic learning. We wish to bring more variety to the everyday working lives of freelancers, while fostering reciprocity and creating spaces for multidirectional learning.