Rules of the Helsinki International Ballet Competition
I Organiser
The 9th Helsinki International Ballet Competition shall be organised by the Helsinki International Ballet Competition Association at the Opera House of Finnish National Opera and Ballet from 30 May to 6 June 2022.
II Competition categories
Junior category, aged 15 to 19 when the Competition begins on 30 May 2022.
Senior category, aged 20 to 25 when the Competition begins on 30 May 2022.
Competitors may compete as a soloist or a couple. Competitors competing as a couple may be in the same category or different categories, and a competitor may also appear with a non-competing partner. There are no age limits for non-competing partners.
Competitors shall be assessed individually in the two categories, girls/women and boys/men separately.
III Registration and pre-selection
Competitors shall register for the Competition on the Competition website (www.ibchelsinki.fi). The link to the online registration form will be posted on 1 November 2021.
Competitors shall attach a video recording to their registration for the pre-selection. The video recording must show the competitor performing two variations if competing as a soloist or one pas de deux (adagio, variations and coda) from one of the classic ballet repertoire options given in section VIII if competing as a couple. Further specifications for the video recording are given on the registration form.
The registration deadline is 20 March 2022. Registrations that are late or incomplete shall not be considered.
The registration fee is EUR 100 and shall not be refunded under any circumstances.
A Selection Committee appointed by the Competition Organiser shall adjudicate the pre-selection on the basis of the video recordings and registration documents submitted. Competitors shall be notified of whether they have been accepted for the Competition by 31 March 2022.
Entrants who have won a Grand Prix or 1st, 2nd or 3rd Prize in the most recent edition of any of the following international ballet competitions shall be accepted for the Helsinki International Ballet Competition without an audition: The International Ballet Competition in Moscow, Prix de Lausanne, USA International Ballet Competition, Varna International Ballet Competition and Youth America Grand Prix of New York Finals (Tampa Finals 2021).
IV Specifications concerning submitting the information of competition programme and music recordings for competition performances
Competitors shall submit the information of competitor´s competition programme and music recordings of competition performances no later than 15 April 2022.
Further specifications concerning the competition programme and music recordings are given on the registration form.
V Travel and accommodation for competitors
Competitors and their partners shall be provided with hotel accommodation in shared twin/double rooms free of charge for the duration of the Competition, 29 May to 7 June 2022. Competitors shall be liable for the arranging and cost of their travel to and from Helsinki. Competitors who require a visa in order to enter Finland shall themselves be responsible for obtaining such a visa.
VI Competition order
The competition order shall be determined by drawing lots at the Opening Ceremony of the Competition at Almi Hall at the Opera House of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet on 29 May 2022. Every competitor shall either be present in person at the Opening Ceremony or be represented there by an individual authorised by power of attorney. The competition order shall remain the same throughout the Competition. For duos, the number drawn for the female partner shall determine their performing slot.
VII Competition timetable
The Competition consists of three Rounds and a Gala, all of which are public events.
First Round, Almi Hall, 31 May to 1 June 2022
About 60 to 80 competitors will be accepted for the First Round.
Second Round, Almi Hall, 2 to 3 June 2022
About 40 competitors will be accepted for the Second Round.
Final Round, Main Auditorium, 4 to 5 June 2022
About 20 competitors will be accepted for the Final Round.
Prize Ceremony and Gala, Main Auditorium, 6 June 2022
VIII Competition repertoire
The Competition repertoire shall consist of the classical ballet repertoire listed below and of contemporary dance works. In contemporary dance, the choreography shall contain elements that clearly differ from classical ballet technique. Competitors may not perform the same selection from a classical ballet work or contemporary dance work again in a later round.
Classical ballet repertoire:
La Bayadère
Gamzatti, Act II/ Act IV
Shades variations
Solor, Act II
The Cavalry Halt
Any variation
Pas de deux of Maria & Peter
Coppélia
Any variation
Pas de deux, Act III – Swanilda & Franz
Le Corsaire
Any variation
Pas de deux, Act I – Medora & Slave
Pas de deux, Act II – Slave Girl & Merchant
Don Quixote
Kitri, Act I
Kitri, Act III
Queen of Dryads, Act II
Dulcinea, Act II
Cupid, Act II
Basilio, Act III
Pas de deux, Act III – Kitri & Basilio
Esmeralda
Any variation
Pas de deux of Diana & Actaeon
Grand pas de deux
La Fille mal gardée
Any variation
Pas de deux, Act II – Lisa & Colin
The Flower Festival in Genzano
Any variation
Pas de deux
Giselle
Giselle, Act I
Variations from the Peasant Pas de deux, Act I
Myrtha, Act II
Albrecht, Act II
Pas de deux, Act I – Peasant pas de deux
Pas de deux, Act II – Giselle & Albrecht
Napoli
Variations of the Pas de Six
Grand pas Classique
Any variation
Pas de deux
Harlequinade
Any variation
Pas de deux
The Nutcracker
Sugar Plum Fairy, Act II
Prince, Act II
Pas de deux, Act II – Sugar Plum Fairy & Prince
Paquita
Any variation
The Pharaoh’s Daughter
Any variation
Raymonda
Any variation
Grand pas de deux, Act III – Raymonda & Jean de Brienne
Satanella
Any variation
Pas de deux – Carneval in Venice
The Sleeping Beauty
Princess Aurora, Act I
Princess Aurora, Act III
Prince Désiré, Act II
Prince Désiré, Act III
Princess Florine, Act III
Bluebird, Act III
Lilac Fairy, Prologue
Lilac Fairy, Act III
Pas de deux, Act III – Princess Florine & Bluebird
Pas de deux, Act III – Princess Aurora & Prince Désiré
Swan Lake
Odette, Act II
Odile, Act III
Siegfried, Act I
Siegfried, Act III
Variations from the Pas de trois, Act I
Pas de deux, Act III – Odile & Siegfried
La Sylphide
James, Act I
James, Act II
Talisman
Any variation
Pas de deux
The Flames of Paris
Any variation
Pas de deux
First Round
Competitors shall perform two (2) variations chosen from the classical ballet repertoire given.
Second Round
Competitors shall perform a selection from a contemporary dance work whose choreography was created after 2006: a solo if competing as a soloist and a duet if competing as a couple. The length of this performance shall be 2.5 to 4 minutes.
Final round
Competitors shall perform selections from the classical ballet repertoire from the 19th or 20th century: two (2) variations if competing as a soloist and a pas de deux if competing as a couple. The length of this performance shall be no more than 13 minutes. Competitors shall also perform, on the same evening, a contemporary dance work created after 2010: a solo if competing as a soloist and a duet if competing as a couple. The length of this performance shall be 2.5 to 6 minutes.
IX International Jury
The Competition Organiser shall appoint the International Jury for the Competition. The International Jury shall be chaired by the Artistic Director of the Finnish National Ballet and shall include Finnish and foreign members.
The International Jury shall adjudicate each competitor individually. No adjudicator may award points to any competitor who is their family member or with whom they otherwise have a close relationship or whom they have coached for this Competition or who is a student or an employee at a dance institution managed by the adjudicator. The Organiser shall advise the Jury of the scoring system and the disqualification rules before the Competition.
X Prizes
Prizes shall be awarded in the Competition as follows:
Jane Erkko Grand Prix
EUR 20,000
Doris Laine Prize
EUR 12,000
Junior category (girls and boys separately)
1st Prize, EUR 5,000
2nd Prize, EUR 3,500
3rd Prize, EUR 2,000
Senior category (women and men separately)
1st Prize, EUR 10,000
2nd Prize, EUR 7,000
3rd Prize, EUR 5,000
Choreography Prize
EUR 5,000
The contemporary dance works performed in the Second Round and in the Final Round shall be adjudicated for the Choreography Prize.
The Jury may decide to divide prizes between competitors ex aequo, except for the Jane Erkko Grand Prix and the Doris Laine Prize. The Jury shall not be obligated to award all prizes. The Jury may also award other prizes and scholarships.
The Helsinki International Ballet Competition wishes to support the continuing artistic development of the prize winners and help them along in their careers. Prize winners in the Competition shall be offered the opportunity to perform in a gala for young dancers that the Helsinki International Ballet Competition will organise in 2024.
XI Prize Ceremony and Gala
The prizes shall be announced at the Gala on 6 June 2022. All competitors and couples competing in the Final Round shall undertake to perform free of charge at the Prize Ceremony and Gala. The Competition Organiser and the Jury shall select the performances for the Gala from the competitors’ repertoire.
XII Consent and rights
Competitors and their partners shall declare on the registration form that they consent to disclosing their relevant personal details to the Competition Organiser (GDPR).
Competitors shall declare on the registration form that they have the right to perform the competition choreographies.
Competitors and their partners shall give their consent on the registration form for the Competition Organiser to make unlimited still images, video recordings, TV broadcasts and film recordings of the Competition performances and to edit recordings of said performances and to post, share and broadcast images and portions of recordings of said performances online, in social media or in any other information networks for an unlimited period of time without paying compensation for such posting, sharing or broadcasting to the competitors or their partners or to the choreographers of said performances.
XIII Other rules concerning the competitors
If a competitor who is also the partner of another competitor is eliminated in the course of the Competition, the eliminated competitor shall agree to continue to perform as a partner in further Rounds, and at the Prize Ceremony and Gala.
Competitors and their partners shall themselves be responsible for their costumes and makeup for their performances.
Competitors and their partners shall themselves be responsible for their insurance coverage.
XIV Interpretation of the Rules
The original language of these Rules is Finnish. Any disputes arising from these Rules shall be resolved on the basis of the Finnish-language version. Force majeure eventualities shall be resolved by the Competition Organiser.
These Rules were approved by the Board of Directors of the Helsinki International Ballet Competition Association on 17 August 2021.
The Rules are updated on 24 January 2022 (III Registration and pre-selection)