17.9.–17.10.2026

The Pond

Marko Mäkinen

17.9.–17.10.2026

The Pond

Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth’s and Carl Knif Company’s co-production The Pond is a bittersweet story about growing up and having the courage to be yourself.

This wordless performance tells the story of a chicken named Candy who dreams of being an elegant swan. Inspired by her dreams, Candy takes the audience on a journey to a world filled with imagination, where play and creativity help us understand emotions and ourselves on an ever-deeper level.

Candy is a wanderer whose clothes are covered in dust from the desert and whose shoes are worn out from wandering through many lands. One day, she happens to stumble upon a theatre. Candy finds the theatre to be an exciting and fascinating place, and soon she finds her way to the performers’ dressing room. The enchanting lights of the vanity mirror and the dazzling costumes inspire her to let her imagination run wild.

Suddenly, Candy remembers her long-held dream: she wants to meet the swans. Resourceful and energetic, she sets out to find the swans of an enchanted forest, and eventually finds her way there. However, not even Candy herself realises the true significance and consequences of this encounter.

The performance combines clowning and dance, and it also addresses difficult topics with gentleness and humour.

The Pond marks the first collaboration between Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth and Carl Knif Company. The original idea for the performance came from Gabriela Muñoz, one of the world’s most renowned clowns, who plays the role of Candy. Carl Knif last visited Hurjaruuth in 2019 when he created a stage adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Working group

Choreographer and director: Carl Knif
Written by: Carl Knif, Gabriela Muñoz
Performers: Gabriela Muñoz, Riku Lehtopolku, Anna Stenberg, Eero Vesterinen
Sound designer: Janne Hast
Light and set designer: Jukka Huitila
Costume designer: Valentina Muñoz
Audience engagement designer: Paule Aladin
Photos: Marko Mäkinen

Production: Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth & Carl Knif Company
Supported by: Amos Anderson Fund, City of Helsinki, Finnish Arts and Culture Agency, Stiftelsen Tre Smeder, Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland

Ticket prices

17 € child, adult, pensioner, unemployed
10 € group ticket (per child), day cares and schools, morning performances
5 € teacher ticket (with group)
10 € theatre professional (1 ticket per card no earlier than a week before the show.)

Assistant seating available free of charge. We are a Disability Card service provider.

Group tickets are available through Hurjaruuth’s customer service by phone or by email.

Location and accessibility

Hurjaruuth Stage (Tallberginkatu 1 A, 2nd floor) is located at the Cable Factory, a well-known cultural centre. Read more about how to get there.

About accessibility: There are wheelchair spaces in front of the seating area (2 slots). There is an induction loop at our stage. Assistant seating available free of charge. We are a Disability Card service provider. Read more about accessibility at the Cable Factory

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our customer service!

Services

Coatroom: In the corridor between Hurjaruuth’s foyer and the stage there is a free self-service coatroom. NB! Our theatre is not responsible for any items or clothes left in the coatroom.

The foyer: There’s a small cafe open in the foyer before the evening and weekend shows, Please note that we only accept card payments.

Toilet facilities: Next to the coatroom there is an accessible toilet with childcare facilities and other unisex toilets.

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Date

17.9.–17.10.2026

Duration

Approx. 50 min

Tickets

17 € / children’s groups 10 € per ticket

Venue

Hurjaruuth Stage, Cable Factory

Suggested age

4 years and up

Other

Non-verbal performance.

The performance includes flashing lights and theatrical smoke.

We have an induction loop and an accessible restroom. Accessible access via the elevator in staircase B. For more information, please visit the Instructions and contact page of our website.

Next performances

Paule Aladin, audience engagement designer

Paule Aladin (they/them) is the Head of Audience Engagement at Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth. Their background spans contemporary dance, improvisation, arts education and social circus. Their artistic practice is enriched by a strong commitment to equity and inclusion. Paule holds a Master’s degree (YAMK) in Contemporary Contexts of Arts and Dance Teacher studies, and is a trained social circus instructor. Since 2005, they have worked across the independent performing arts field, arts institutions, arts education and community arts – both in Finland and internationally. For Paule, audience engagement is rooted in fostering equality and meaningful connection, while deepening the relationship between art and its audiences.
Janne Hast, sound designer

Janne Hast is a musician and sound designer who has been working as a freelancer in the fields of theatre, dance and contemporary circus since 2008. He works as the resident sound designer and composer for Carl Knif Company and Kinetic Orchestra. As a musician, composer, arranger and producer, Janne has performed in ensembles spanning various musical genres, playing keyboards, drums and live electronics.
Jukka Huitila, light and set designer

Jukka Huitila is a Finnish light artist and designer known for creating immersive, atmospheric light installations. With a background in visual arts and performing arts design, his work often blends technology with natural elements, exploring the dynamic interplay of light, space, and perception. Jukka’s installations have been featured in public spaces, festivals, exhibitions and stages, where his innovative use of light transforms environments and captivates audiences. His designs emphasize minimalism and harmony, often evoking a sense of wonder and reflection.
Carl Knif, choreographer, director and scriptwriter

Carl Knif is a dancer, choreographer and artistic director and founder of Carl Knif Company. Knif has created numerous choreographies for Carl Knif Company and carried out co-productions and commissioned works for theatres and dance houses alike. Knif was awarded the State Prize for Performing Arts in 2016, and in 2022 he received a prize from the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland for the dramaturgy of Ett drömspel. In 2025, Knif received Kulturpriset (‘the Culture Award’) by Svenska folkskolans vänner.
Riku Lehtopolku, performer

Riku Lehtopolku is a versatile performer, choreographer, and teacher in the field of dance, as well as the artistic director of the Turku-based Aurinkobaletti. Riku has worked in productions by, among others, Pori Dance Company, the Finnish National Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, Skånes Dansteater, Iceland Dance Company, Susanna Leinonen Company and Carl Knif Company. Prior to joining Aurinkobaletti, Riku worked as the artistic director of Pori Dance Company (2014–2019) and the Kuopio Dance Festival (2020–2024).
Gabriela Muñoz, performer and scriptwriter

Gabriela Muñoz has a variety of experience in theatre, circus and opera. She has studied at the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) and the School of Physical Theatre in London. In 2010, she created her critically acclaimed show “Perhaps, Perhaps… Quizás”. In 2019 she created “DIRT!”, which was nominated for a City Award for best show. In 2020, as a celebration of her 10 years as a clown, she published her first book, CHULA THE CLOWN, edited by Sicomoro Ediciones and awarded with the National Prize of graphic arts. That same year she received a medal for her international merit by the Congress of Mexico City in the field of cultural promotion.
Valentina Muñoz, costume designer

Valentina is an artist and costume designer whose work focuses primarily on theater and performance. Creating wearable art is what excites and inspires her the most. She specialized in costume design for audiovisual media at the Madrid Film School (ECAM). Based in Mexico, she has worked extensively in costume design for circus and theater alongside her sister Gaby, known as Chula the Clown. In addition to her work in Mexico, Valentina has professional experience in Spain, where she designed costumes for film, theater, television series, advertising campaigns, photography, dance productions, and haute couture. She also creates costumes for artists and musicians.
Anna Stenberg, performer

Anna Stenberg works as a freelance dancer and performer within the field of contemporary dance and theatre, and has worked with several working groups and since the year 2016 in many works by Carl Knif Company. She has also worked as a co-founder of Kött-kollektiivi, as a dancer with Petri Kekoni Company, Joona Halonen, Karoliina Loimaala and with short films, improvisation, in productions of musical theatre and opera, on large and small stages and festivals in Finland and the Nordic Countries. She holds a MA degree in Dance Performance from The University of the Arts Helsinki Theater Academy. Additionally, she has completed studies in Music Theatre (University of the Arts Helsinki) and graduated as Dance Teacher from Savonia University of Applied Sciences.
Eero Vesterinen, performer

Eero has been dancing professionally since 2003, after studying at the Department of Dance at the Theater Academy of Helsinki. He has collaborated on dance projects with artists such as Tommi Kitti, Sanna Kekäläinen, Valtteri Raekallio, Marjo Kuusela, Petri Kekoni and Tero Saarinen, both in the independent dance scene and at Skånes Dansteater in Sweden and at the Helsinki Dance Company. At Hurjaruuth, Eero has performed in Carl Knif’s Liisa Ihmemaassa in 2019, Jyrki Karttunen’s Vuodenajat – puutarhatonttujen matkakuvia in 2024, and Winter Circus Film in 2025–26.

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