After (2025)
Ritual for the aftermath of sexual violence
Duration: 60 minutes
Premiere: May 2025, Tilburg, Netherlands, July 2025, Orivesi, Finland
Choreographer & performer: Tuulia Soininen
Artistic mentor: Elina Pirinen
Dramaturge: Meri-Maija Näykki
Research mentor: Mariella Greil
Supporters: Yrjö Sirolan Säätiö, Fontys & Codarts


“After” is a raw, intimate, and powerful solo performance that delves into the aftermath of sexual violence. At the intersection of performance art, feminist expression, and embodied storytelling, the piece challenges cultural narratives around victimhood.
Drawing from modern rape myths and mythical representations of women, After invites the audience into a deeply personal yet universally resonant journey of reclaiming agency. The performance does not offer closure or clear answers. Instead, it opens space—for reflection, discomfort, connection, and dialogue.
With striking physicality and poetic imagery, After confronts the scars—visible and invisible—that remain. It paints pain and survival side by side, unearthing the complexity of what it means to live on, to speak out, and to rewrite the story on one’s own terms.
Audience responses have described the performance as “bold,” “brave,” and “unforgettably moving.” This is not a story of survival alone—it’s a reclaiming. A rerererererewriting. A testament to the power of art to hold complexity and to make the unspeakable visible.
​
Content notes: partial nudity, not suitable for children
©Miina Puolitaival
©Jona Harnischmacher
Music: Saunavihdat – Minna Raskinen & Erkki Majasvaara; Saunavihdat – Ilona Vähäsöyrinki & Lapsikuoro Ilo; Down by the River –Neil Young & Crazy Horse; Drunk Girl – Tom Douglas & Chris Janson; My Collection – Future; Sweat – Inner Circle; Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin – Richard Wagner & Kalevi Kiviniemi; Do What U Want – Lady Gaga & Christina Aguilera; Lähteellä - Tuuletar