Focus on Finnish at the National Ballet

HELSINKI/FINLAND: The FNB opens Finland’s centenary year 2017 with a visit to Copenhagen, giving four performances of the hugely successful ballet The Snow Queen at the Royal Danish Ballet on 27–29 January.

The visit is of particular significance, since The Snow Queen is based on a story by the famous Danish storyteller H.C
. Andersen and the choreographer, Kenneth Greve, Artistic Director of the FNB, is himself Danish and a former member of the Royal Danish Ballet.

Kenneth Greve. photo Karoliina Bärlund

The autumn season opens with the world premiere of Romeo and Juliet by Natália Horečná, a hot name in contemporary European dance theatre, on 26 August. She gives new form to the classic story made famous by Shakespeare, set to the familiar and lovely music from Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev.

The world premiere of a new ballet work, Alice in Wonderland by Jorma Elo, will be given on 7 October. Resident choreographer in Boston Ballet, Finnish Jorma Elo is creating a remarkable international career; this is his first full-length choreography for the FNB. The story is based on the well-known books by Lewis Carroll and will appeal to viewers of all ages, although it is recommended for children aged 6 and above. The fabulously beautiful sets and costumes are by award-winning designer Robert Perdziola.

In addition to the guest performances in Copenhagen, the FNB will be celebrating the centenary of Finland’s independence with Voima (Force), a quadruple bill featuring works by four Finnish choreographers to Finnish music. Breaking the Furyby Susanna Leinonen features music for symphony orchestra by Kasperi Laine.Virpi Pahkinen will be featured with a new work to Einojuhani Rautavaara’s work Cantus Arcticus for orchestra and birdsong. The other new work on the bill will be a work by Jyrki Karttunen to Sibelius’s Valse triste. Returning to the FNB as the fourth work on the bill is Jord (Earth) by Jorma Uotinen.

The year 2017 will also include performances of Seven Brothers by Marjo Kuusela, Kullervo by Tero Saarinen, and in Almi Hall, Moomin and the Comet by Anandah Kononen.

The FNB will also be performing The Snow Queen at home in the 2016–2017 season, and the perennial favourites The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and Swan Lake will also be returning to the repertoire.

FNOB reaches out to audiences of all ages, live and online

The 2016–2017 will also feature a familiar range of events for audiences of all ages, from babies to pensioners, many of the events being free of charge: the popular art breaks for children of various ages, school projects around Finland, teatime dances for senior citizens, visits to care institutions, and so on. Streaming performances free of charge in cooperation with the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE and HSTV and on the FNOB’s own Stage24 channel will continue. Also, the FNOB is partner of The Opera Platform.

Season tickets and ticket for performances in the autumn are on sale now
. The entire programme for 2016–2017 is available on the FNOB web site.