Originally published June 2022. Republished here as part of bringing The VL Studios archive onto this site.
On 13 June 2022 we performed Dawn till Dusk at the New York Estonian House — a show that merges contemporary dance with live music drawn from Estonian folklore, the folk calendar and archival recordings from the early twentieth century.
It was made with Diina Tamm, who choreographed, danced and directed it. I played violin, directed the music and did the design. Charlie Rauh on guitar and David Fletcher on bass and cajón, with Victoria Vikström, Jose Amor Christensen and Sean Mejia dancing.
The material came from Kadri and Mardi day, from sauna traditions, from old recordings, and from tunes I wrote to sit alongside them. What I wanted was for the old material and the new to be indistinguishable by the end of the evening — not a folk set with modern pieces attached, but one thing.
It went on to tour Florida and Maryland, return to New York for a one-night-only performance, and come back to the Estonian House again in 2024.
