I’m a heart beating in the world is a participatory performance and concert that unfolds in the natural hot springs of Hvammsvík. Created by dance and performance artist Maija Mustonen (b.1979, Helsinki, Finland), Hrefna Lind Lárusdóttir (b.1985, Reykjavik, Iceland), and dramaturg Ami Karvonen, with music and visuals by Rusto Myllylahti (b.1985, Tornio, Finalnd)/ Elatu Nessa, the work invites audience members into the water to experience floating, touch, and movement as part of a live installation. Combining concert, choreography, and embodied interaction, the performance foregrounds softness and slowness and explores the gentle power of water as a choreographic element. The working group also includes performer-dancers Vasilliki Kontopoulou and Saga Kjerulf Sigurdardóttir and a visual artist Caressa Betist.

The performance draws on Mustonen’s ongoing research into water dance and floating practices, especially the Aguahara floating technique, a method of water-based movement and care between two people. In this work, the encounter between water and body, movement and weightlessness, creates an intimate, immersive experience that centers trust, presence, and the shared space of the pool. The performance’s layered soundscape includes live and underwater music, merging with the movement of floating bodies to form a holistic, sensorial composition.