Folk dance that touches the heart and surprises the mind.

Pääkaupungin Karjalaiset Nuoret PKN will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2026 in many ways – the year will kick off with a spectacular folk dance concert entitled Kirjo / Karhu, where tradition and the present day will dance side by side, both with their own groups and with groups invited for a visit.

During the first half of the concert, dance groups from Helsinki will take to the stage. The evening will start with Susirekka’s performance of Kaikkein polska and Oispa masurkkaa, tuning the audience for a journey into a world of movement and rhythm. Next, PKN’s own groups – Roigu, Riesku and PoppaSitko – will perform an expanded version of Tyttö ja tanssiva karhu (‘The Girl and the Dancing Bear’), based on the poem and song of the same name. The work brings to the stage a mythical and storied world of dance and song about boundless friendship, freedom and letting go.

The second half will feature the evening’s main work, Nuorisoseura Harmonikka’s acclaimed dance piece Kirjo (‘Spectrum’). The work depicts the feelings and experiences of a neurodivergent person in a world of dissimilarity through modern folk dance and contemporary dance – sensitively, insightfully and touchingly.
There are as many forms of neurodivergence as there are people experiencing it; this is our way of reflecting on and increasing understanding of diversity.

Kirjo / Karhu is a celebratory concert in which diverse and storied contemporary dance takes centre stage – movement says what words cannot always capture.

PKN is a Helsinki-based folk dance society with nine groups for people of different ages. This concert will feature Roigu and Riesku, led by Ella Rautamäki, as well as Rami Meling’s group PoppaSitko.

Founded in 2008, Susirekka is a Helsinki-based dance group that practices challenging Finnish folk dance under the direction of dance teacher Jari Haavisto.

Nuorisseura Harmonikka is an association based in Korvenkylä, Lappeenranta, that offers folk dance activities for both children and adults. Accordingly, the stage will be taken over by dancers of a wide range of ages.

Duration: 2 h, incl. a 20-min intermission