Miia had the opportunity to co-choreograph and movement direct Janocek’s The Cunning Little Vixen with her creative collaborator Ellen Finlay in 2020.

The choreography of this staging is rooted in its core themes of humanity’s reliance on and moral responsibility to nature. The source material that was drawn on to create a movement language included influences from folk and ritualistic dance styles, as well as ancient practises of nature worship. As the Opera is set in a forest that is destroyed by polluting effects of humanity, contemporary climate protest informed some the stylistic choices of the movement.

Nature worship often acknowledges and reveres the elemental forces, with many ancient faiths personifying these forces into celestial beings. When developing the choreography the intention was to represent the forces of destiny, quietly pulling the divine strings. The choreography was influenced by the Janacek’s portrayal of the cyclical pattern of nature and the passing of time, using repetition and recurrence of motif in the choreography to reflect these themes.

A huge aspect of the movement landscapes of this work are Brigid’s puppets. When creating the choreography Ellen and Miia were influenced by the physicality of the puppetry, as well as workshopping puppetry techniques with the cast.