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Participation

Teachers

27.5.–5.6.2026

IBC Helsinki is more than just a competition – it is an intensive educational experience. The IBC Helsinki organisation provides daily training classes for participants during the competition week.

Anu Sistonen – Teacher for the Morning Classes

Anu Sistonen is a former soloist with the Finnish National Ballet who has also worked for several years with the Stuttgart Ballet, the Cullberg Ballet, and the Tero Saarinen Company. After her dancing career, Sistonen worked as a guest teacher with various dance groups across Europe. She began her own choreographic work and producing in the early 2000s after moving to Luxembourg. She spent 17 years there, during which time she created a total of about 15 works for her own group, Dance Development. The dancers came from Finland, France, Germany, and Luxembourg, among other countries.

During her dancing career, Sistonen performed leading roles in major classical ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Romeo and Juliet.  In addition, she danced a diverse repertoire ranging from neoclassical styles (Kylian, Neumeier, Forsythe) to contemporary dance (Ek, Naharin, Uotinen, Kvanström). Anu Sistonen was one of the first dancers in Tero Saarinen Company when it was founded, which demonstrates her interest in the growth and development of the dance community. 

Sistonen began her work as a ballet master at the Finnish National Ballet (FNB) in 2019 and continued in the same role at the English National Ballet (ENB) a couple of years later. Her time as a ballet master strongly shaped her into a teacher and coach for the next generation. In addition to her work as a choreographer and teacher, Sistonen currently serves as a member of the board of the Helsinki International Ballet Competition and as a coach for the ASKEL program, which prepares dancers for the competition.

The structure of Anu’s ballet class at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition is a typical classical ballet training session, where the warm-up begins at the barre and focuses on breathing movements and placement that strengthens technique. After a calm start, the tempo and dynamics of the movements are varied. The center exercises and jumps provide a good way to get the body moving, with special attention paid to artistry and musicality. It is very important to Anu that the class has an inspiring atmosphere! Kristina Grice serves as the pianist in Anu’s lessons.

Jarmo Rastas – Teacher for the Morning Classes

Jarmo Rastas has worked as a dancer and teacher at the Finnish National Ballet for over 57 years. He worked as a dancer until 1996, dancing leading roles in all the classical ballets, such as Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Spartacus, Giselle, and The Seven Brothers. In 1987, Rastas also began working as a ballet master at the Finnish National Ballet, when the ballet director at that time, Professor Doris Laine, asked him to give a morning class for the company. Since then, dancers have loved Rastas’ ballet classes, to which he brings his own captivating energy. Today, Rastas works as a guest principal teacher at the Finnish National Ballet.

Jarmo feels that during the morning classes at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition, dancers don’t need teaching anymore, but rather, his most important task is to help them relax and warm up for their competition performances. Dmitry Pavlov, with whom Jarmo has worked for over twenty years, accompanies him on the piano during his classes.

Michal Krčmář – Teacher for the Master Classes

Michal Krčmář has worked with the Finnish National Ballet since 2011, first as a soloist and principal dancer, and since 2015 as a lead principal dancer.

He received his training at the Dance State Conservatory, Prague from 2001 to 2009, which included masterclasses by Daria Klimentová in Prague in 2006. Before joining the Finnish National Ballet, Krčmář worked as a soloist with Bohemian Ballet from 2009 to 2010 and as a soloist with the Prague State Opera Ballet from 2010 to 2011.

Krčmář has participated in numerous tours with the Finnish National Ballet, including in Copenhagen, Tokyo, and Osaka, and has also performed as a guest artist in dozens of ballet companies, dance festivals, and galas around the world. He has danced many leading roles in classical ballets such as La Bayadère, Coppélia, Le Corsaire, Don Quixote, Giselle, Swan Lake, La Dame aux Camélias, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Onegin, and The Sleeping Beauty, as well as in many neoclassical and contemporary works such as Sinfonia Psalms (Jiří Kylián), Double Evil (Jorma Elo), If to Leave is to Remember (Carolyn Carlson), and Dust (Akram Khan).

Minna Marsh – Mental Coach

Minna Marsh has worked as a Mental Coach for 17 years, helping ballet dancers, artists and athletes perform at their best when it matters most. She lives in Helsinki and works globally.

At this level, it’s not just about technique and physical performance. It’s about what happens inside under pressure – focus, fear, overthinking, comparison. Minna’s work is simple: to help you get out of your own way so your performance can come through.

During the competition, there will also be a unique Safe Space. It’s a quiet, actual physical space with its own soundscape where you can come to breathe, reset, and reconnect with yourself before going on stage. Minna is available also for personal talks, if any of the dancers wants an extra dose of focused calm and clarity.

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