Mood-Performance-Tants brings fashion into dialogue with an extraordinary place
Mood-Performance-Tants, organised by the Pallas University of Applied Sciences (Pallas UAS), invites audiences on June 11 to a place where fashion runways are not usually found. This time, the show will take place in St. John’s Church in Tartu (Tartu Jaani kirik) – a venue where imaginative fashion creates a rare dialogue with a historically meaningful environment.
Mood-Performance-Tants (MPT), which is part of the Estonian Fashion Festival programme, has always been closely connected to its venue – space is not merely a backdrop but an active element of the performance, influencing movement, rhythm, and layers of meaning. Known for its unique terracotta sculptures, St. John’s Church adds a special dimension to the show, placing contemporary fashion creations in dialogue with a historical interior and offering viewers a fresh perspective on the relationship between fashion and environment.
This year’s show highlights the common ground between fashion as meaningful art and human experience. Openness, care, and a sense of belonging – values upheld by the church community – create an environment where different generations and viewpoints can meet and where creative work speaks to the audience directly and personally.
“St. John’s Church as a venue is exciting. On the one hand, long before fashion shows became part of our everyday lives, the church was one of the places where people had the opportunity to display their festive garments, often richly decorated and saved for special occasions. It was here that beautiful patterns and colour combinations were quietly admired and later recreated from memory, with slight variations,” says the head organiser, Professor Aet Ollisaar, the head of the Department of Textile at Pallas UAS.
“On the other hand, the present time calls for human values, mutual understanding, and care – perhaps the choice of venue helps remind us of this. Mood-Performance-Tants is an event where innovative ideas of young designers intertwine with a sustainable worldview –the centuries-old walls of St. John’s Church, which have withstood the passage of time, are a dignified symbol supporting the importance of this idea,” Ollisaar adds.
“People come to church to encounter the Sacred – to seek an anchor and deeper meaning for their lives. Different artistic expressions allow our minds to wander freely and help us find renewed inspiration. The church values the care of all creations – we are called to cultivate and protect the land around us, but also to care for one another. Everyone is welcome in the church; here we can meet, listen to each other, and together, through different forms of expression, search for what is greater than ourselves,” says Triin Käpp, pastor of the EELK Tartu University-St.John’s Congregation.
MPT is the longest-running fashion show in Southern Estonia and a unique event in the country, combining fashion, performance, and dance into a holistic experience. The show features young fashion designers and graduates from Pallas’s design fields whose work is distinctive, experimental, and open to new interpretations. Each collection tells its own story, highlighting the author’s creative signature.
Since 1997, MPT has been organised by the Department of Textile at Pallas UAS. Since 2018, the show has been part of the Estonian Fashion Festival programme, which brings together three Southern Estonian fashion events, including OmaMood and the Antonius Fashion Show. The festival is organised in cooperation with Pallas UAS, the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, and the Tartu Centre for Creative Industries.
Tickets are available on the Fienta platform. More information: https://fashionfestival.ee/programm/mood-performance-tants
Additional information and media contact:
Aet Ollisaar
Head organiser of Mood-Performance-Tants
Pallas University of Applied Sciences
aet.ollisaar@pallasart.ee
+372 730 9825
Photo from the 2025 Mood-Performance-Tants show in Samelin show factory. Photographer Maria Kilk.
