Sonya Lindfors
ONE DROP
Boundary-breaking performance exploring the histories of capitalism and colonialism
“A work that is both playful and entertaining but also embedded with history and immense societal commentary!”— Francesca Matthys, Dance Art Journal
By award-winning choreographer Sonya Lindfors,
ONE DROP is an entertaining yet sharply analytical piece in which theatre, contemporary choreography, street dance and opera flow seamlessly into one another.
Visually captivating, socially impactful, and performed by a charismatic ensemble, the production has received acclaim across Europe. A landmark work of Finnish Black stage art, it will be presented on the Main Stage of the Finnish National Theatre in May.
The title of the work refers to two separate concepts – the one drop rhythm which is a reggae style drumbeat as well as to the one drop rule of the Race Separation Act, created in the United States in the early 1900s, according to which a single drop of “Black blood” made a person “Black” despite their appearance. The “one drop rule” exposed how racial technologies were devised to control and dehumanise Black and Brown people.
ONE DROP premiered at the Dance House Helsinki in May 2023 as part of the programme of Zodiak – Centre for New Dance and has since toured numerous festivals across Europe. The work continues Lindfors’s long-term exploration of power, representation and Black body politics.
Performances on Main Stage on May 23 and 25, 2025 Supported by Kone Foundation, The Finnish Cultural Foundation, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Nordic Culture Point
Working group
Choreographer & Director Sonya Lindfors
Performers Antonia Atarah, Maele Sabuni, Kamilla Halid, Alen Nsambu, Marlon Moilanen ja Isabella Shaw
Sound design Jussi Matikainen
Light design Erno Aaltonen
Costume design Sanna Levo
Set design Aino Koski
Choreographer’s assistant Janina Salmela
Costume assistant Angel Emmanuel
Rehearsal assistant & choreographic support Johanna Karlberg
Sound designer's assistant Timo Tikka
Seamstress Elina Tuomisto
Contributors to process Ornilia Ubisse, Judith Arupa, Alen Nsambu,
Libretto Sonya Lindfors
Other texts Sonya Lindfors & työryhmä | working group
Production UTT ry & Sonya Lindfors
Co-production Big Pulse Dance Alliance (Zodiak – Uuden tanssin keskus / FI, Dance Umbrella / UK, Julidans/NL), Goethe-Institut (International Coproduction Fund), Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, Apap – FEMINIST FUTURES (a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union), Beursschouwbourg
