Jumppatytöt

Theatre Takomo’s production Jumppatytöt (Gymnastics Girls) premiered at the Minervaskolan auditorium in Helsinki on April 13, 2024, and is currently touring Finland. In May, Jumppatytöt will be coming to Estonia, with four performances scheduled – two in Tallinn and two in Narva.

The theater performance about team gymnastics is based on the personal experiences of the working group members, current actors, and former gymnasts Katariina Havukainen, Ella Lahdenmäki, and Inkeri Hyvönen with team gymnastics. The performance focuses on questions about how gymnastics can affect girls’ self-esteem and self-image. “In the performance, we address the shortcomings of coaching culture and the power adults wield over children, while also wondering why the sport we love is not appreciated and promoted enough, for example in the sports media,” say the creators. Using humor, the performance encourages gymnasts to take a stand, empower themselves, and demand change!

Teatteri Takomo’s Jumppatytöt has become a phenomenon in the world of gymnastics and theater. The entire Helsinki season was sold out before the premiere, the auditorium was enlarged, and additional performances sold out in no time.

Although the performance deals with team gymnastics, its target audience is broader: many people can relate to the performance. It has made a former ice hockey player reflect on his time on the bench. Many have been reminded of memories of school sports.

The performance is an ode to Finnish women’s gymnastics and to everyone who has ever trained so hard that they could taste metal in their mouths. The diaries from 1998 to 2008 played an essential role in the creation of the play. Fortunately, the girls persevered in writing them and, despite their embarrassment, kept them!

Performances:

May 27, 2025, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., Tallinn, Tallinna Ühisgümnaasium

May 30, 2025, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., Narva, Kulttuuritalo Rugodiv

The Jumppatytöt performances in Estonia are part of the joint pARTir – Creating a Cultural Roadmap Towards Responsible International Mobility project by the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes and ten Finnish institutes around the world, made possible by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU program.