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The minimalist, delicate After Yesterday journeys into oneself and the past, from the present towards the future, and reminds us that hope carries our lives. The first part of the choreographic trilogy based on Giya Kanchelis music was completed as a solo work for Anna Palmio in 2008. At Alpo Aaltokoski’s 40th anniversary celebration at Dance House Helsinki in October 2026, the Bolivian interpretation of the work will have its Finnish premiere, with dancer Patricia “Pachi” Sejas as the dancer.
Alpo Aaltokoski (21.9.2008): “I am a great admirer of the music of the Georgian composer, Giya Kancheli. His composition Morning Prayers has been with me for over ten years, and I have tried to choreograph it several times – without success before. Now finally the pieces fell into place and I was able to work on the choreography as a dialogue with the music.”
Pachi Sejas is a dance artist, choreographer and, among others, the leader and creative force of the Danza Viva community based in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Alpo Aaltokoski says:
“I first met Pachi on a tour in Bolivia in 2011. The following year I had received an invitation to perform at the Cochabamba International Dance Festival, and on this trip we were already planning a continuation of our collaboration. Pachi is a powerhouse of dance in her home country and a widely respected cultural figure. Her strong expressive performance impressed me, and I wanted to transfer my piece After Yesterday to her. It premiered in Bolivia in 2013 under the Spanish name Después de Ayer. In the solo, the dancer’s inner pent-up power slowly releases through small and delicate gestures. As a choreographer, I was interested in how this dancer, bursting with joy and energy, locks her power inside and releases it into dialogue with Kanchelis music.”
Team:
Choreography: Alpo Aaltokoski
Dance: Patricia Sejas (Anna Palmio 2008 / Tuovi Rantanen / Johanna Ikola)
Music: Giya Kancheli
Lighting designer: Kalle Paasonen
Photos: Horacio Augstburger
Production: Alpo Aaltokoski Company in collaboration with Canela (2008)
Duration: 24 minutes
Press reviews
Annikki Alku, Uutispäivä Demari 14.10.2008
[After yesterday] is exceptionally slow and minimalist, like a butoh performance. The unbelievable intensity and feeling of internal emotional fire in the movement in Palmio’s interpretation draws an extremely precise journey before us, from pain towards nascent hope and light.
Jussi Tossavainen, Helsingin Sanomat 10.10.2008
After yesterday, which Alpo Aaltokoski made for Anna Palmio, is a chilling experience. The journey, which portrays the dancer’s spiritual growth, happens at the same pace as Japanese noh theatre. In other words, nothing much happens. And yet, massive movements occur in the spectator’s mind! The fantastic Palmio reserves an enormous charge and tension for the very last moment, providing an ending that is also liberating for the spectator.
Performance history
Después de Ayer Finnish premiere: 27 October 2026, Pannu hall, Dance House Helsinki, Finland
Premiere: October 7, 2008 Alexander Theatre, Helsinki, Finland
October 7-11, 2008 Alexander Theatre, Helsinki, Finland
October 18, 2008 VPK-teatteri, Pyhäsalmi, Finland
November 8-12, 2008 Kanneltalo, Helsinki, Finland
September 26, 2009 Time of Dance Festival, Jyväskylä, Finland
October 28-30, 2009 Kanneltalo, Helsinki, Finland
November 24, 2009 Vaasan kaupunginteatteri, Vaasa, Finland
August 6-15, 2010 Myllysali, Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland
September 16, 2010 Oamk-näyttämö, Oulu, Finland
September 19, 2010 Generaattori, Kajaani, Finland
September 21, 2010 Kiurusali, Kiuruvesi, Finland
August 26, 2011 Rikhardinkadun kirjasto, Helsinki
November 15-18, 2012 Stoa the Cultural Centre of Eastern Helsinki (3)
July 31, August 5 – 6, 2014 DRIFT – Dance in Suomenlinna, Myllysali hall, Helsinki
November 11, 2019 Kaamos Festival, Villa Lill Kalvik, Vuosaari Helsinki
15.11.2020 Pyhän Annan kirkko, Pyhäjärvi