Renowned as one of the most significant choreographers of her generation in Europe, Carolyn Carlson is creating a new solo piece for Tero Saarinen. Titled Room 7 , the solo will premiere at the Civitanova Danza festival in Italy on July 4th. The piece will be presented as part of an evening featuring two works by Tero Saarinen Company, opening with Saarinen’s own classic piece, Westward Ho!.

Carolyn Carlson and Tero Saarinen have collaborated since the early 1990s. Carlson has created solo masterpieces for Saarinen such as Travelling (1998) and Man in a Room (2000). In 2008, she passed on her own iconic full-length solo piece, Blue Lady [Revisited], to Saarinen, whose interpretation received great acclaim in Europe and Asia.

The new solo piece, Room 7, marks the culmination of the long and fruitful relationship between the two artists. “Room 7 is an exploration of the human mind. In the piece, Tero embodies different archetypes and takes us on a journey through mind games that shape our perceptions,” Carolyn Carlson explains about the work.

“I have had the privilege of working with Carolyn for four decades, and her tireless creative energy continue to inspire me as a performer. It has been wonderful to return to the basics of humanity – and at the same time, to challenge both my body and my thinking in this stage of my career,” says Saarinen.