Ballet Finland, a dance group operating outside of the National Ballet, employs mainly Finnish dancers. There is sleep for the morning classes.
Tanış is a promising choreographer of the new generation and a dancer of the National Ballet. Ballet Finland’s work is a tribute to the 100-year history of both the group and the Aleksanteri Theater in Finland.
The dancers are excited about Ballet Finland.
– There are a lot of professional dancers outside of the National Ballet. Ballet Finland offers us morning classes, which is important so that we can maintain our professionalism, says Aino Louhivaara.
– Ballet Finland is also very important in that you get to realize yourself as a dancer outside of the National Ballet as well, Katerina Torp states.
– As wonderful as it was to work at the National Ballet, as a freelancer I have been able to choose which projects I join, Luukas states.
Ballet Finland has become known for the audience work it has been doing in schools for years. So You Think You Can Move? workshops have been held for 5th-9th graders mainly in the capital region.
The group has collaborated with the National Opera and Ballet and performed in opera productions such as . In addition, Ballet Finland has a significant role in maintaining and developing the professional skills of ballet dancers.
Perseverance paid off
Founded more than ten years ago, Ballet Finland has strengthened its position in the field of domestic dance. This year, for the first time, the group received a temporary operating grant from the Center for the Promotion of the Arts (Taike).
It is a significant change in Ballet Finland’s funding, as the state (Taike) has generally supported groups that have been eligible for that support in the future as well. Operating assistance means a more stable economy. And according to Valkama, increasing the amount of the grant is the most important goal in the near future.
According to him, the money coming in has mainly gone to the artists’ salaries until now.
– Regular operating assistance would enable us to put resources into administration and production, says Valkama.
Now, the administration has been run mostly by workers. According to Valkama, the group’s operations could grow thanks to better resources.
– There is already a clear demand for us, and we would then be able to respond to it, Valkama states.
Ballet Finland employs around 20 dancers each year, mainly on short contracts.
An alternative to the National Ballet
The share of Finnish ballet dancers has decreased dramatically in the National Ballet over the past 15 years. Finns make up almost a third of the group.
Greve led the National Ballet between 2008 and 2018, and the group’s level rose.
Ballet Finland was founded in 2009. Its purpose was to offer jobs to young, talented ballet dancers who, for one reason or another, could not get a job at the National Ballet. Many went abroad because of it.
Ballet Finland’s mission is still the same.
– From the point of view of Ballet Finland, it’s great that the National Ballet has had so little space for Finnish stars. We’ve got really high-level dancers in the group, Valkama is happy.
He emphasizes the dance-driven nature of the group.
– The common thread is that the repertoire is built specifically on the terms of ballet-trained dancers.
Valkama hopes that Ballet Finland could use more and more guest choreographers from both Finland and abroad in the future.
Now the creators of the dance have been chosen from the close circle.
– It is challenging here. When Tchaikovsky’s music starts playing, I see original scenes. And now I’m trying to go against them. It feels a little uncomfortable, but also fun when I try to find my own limits, says choreographer Emrecan Tanış.