TURNOUTS
Discussions about topics related to ballet competitions and dance professionalism.
The Significance of Competing in Ballet
Thu 28.5. 17.45–18.30 Almi Hall Foyer
Minna Tervamäki, Former Chair of the HIBC Association
Hannele Niiranen-Mattsson, Chair of the HIBC Association
How do Figure Skating and Ballet Competitions Differ?
Fri 29.5. 17.45–18.30 Almi Hall Foyer
Mila Kajas, Figure skater, Communications Manager
Hannu Hyttinen, Vice Chair of the HIBC Association
Work of the HIBC Jury
Sat 30.5. 17.45–18.30 Almi Hall Foyer
Javier Torres, Chair of the HIBC Jury
Jenny Jägerhorn, Journalist
The discussion offers a glimpse behind the closed doors of the Jury’s work: what happens when technical precision meets artistic vision? The Chair of the Jury opens up the criteria by which the stars of the future are distinguished from the rest, and how an international Jury reaches consensus behind the scoring. The discussion also explores how tradition and contemporary demands are reflected in the Jury’s evaluations. How does the Jury assess a dancer’s maturity, musicality, and ability to carry the classical heritage, while at the same time seeking something new and a fresh interpretation?
How to Support Healthy Body Image in Ballet Education and in Professional Life
Mon 1.6. 17.45–18.30 Almi Hall Foyer
Johanna Osmala, Lead Physiotherapist of the Finnish National Ballet
Ballet & Creativity
Wed 3.6. 17.45–18.30 Main Foyer
Javier Torres, Artistic Director of the Finnish National Ballet
Riikka Mäkikoskela, Head of Radical Creativity, Aalto University
How can creativity be encouraged in an environment with a strong tradition of aesthetic values and technical excellence?
You Ask, We Answer!
Thu 4.6. 17.45–18.30 Main Foyer
Host Liisa Vihmanen, Journalist
Jarmo Ahonen, Physiotherapist, Author and Coach
Anni Martinsén, Dancer, Finnish National Ballet
Emmi Max Pennanen, Dancer, Tero Saarinen Company
Satu Ristlakki,Principal, Ballet School of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet
Nicholas Ziegler, Coordinator of the Youth Company of the Finnish National Ballet
You can leave your questions in the box in the Main Foyer or the Almi Hall Foyer, or in the question box of our Instagram Stories @ibchelsinki. You can direct your question to a specific person or to everyone. You ask, we answer!
Participating in the discussions:
Jarmo Ahonen is a Finnish pioneer in dance medicine and body conditioning and one of the leading Pilates educators in Finland. He has served as the consulting physiotherapist for the Finnish National Ballet since 1986 and taught body awareness and movement skills at the Ballet School of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, as well as the Theatre Academy, for over two decades. Ahonen’s expertise uniquely bridges the demands of elite sports and artistic dance. He is a long-standing board member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS), and a founding member of Dance Health Finland (DHF).
Hannu Hyttinen is a lawyer by training and serves as the Chief Senior Advisor for Deputy Mayor of Social Services and Health Care at the City of Helsinki. As a dancer, he was a member of Tanssiteatteri Raatikko from 1986 to 2000 and served as Director of the Savonlinna Ballet Festival from 2008 to 2010. He has been a member of the board of the HIBC Association since 2010.
Jenny Jägerhorn is a versatile cultural journalist and former professional dancer with the Finnish National Ballet, whose expertise spans the entire cultural field from politics to popular culture. She holds a Master of Social Sciences degree from the University of Helsinki and works as a journalist across digital platforms, television, radio, and social media. At the Helsinki International Ballet Competition, Jägerhorn combines her two passions: precise technical knowledge of dance and journalistic storytelling.
Mila Kajas is among the finest figure skaters in Finland’s history. She represented Finland at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics, finishing 12th, and was crowned Finnish women’s champion four times. At the World Championship level, she ranked among the top ten skaters in the world. For the past 25 years, she has built a career in communications and marketing and currently works as a Communications Manager. She contributed to organising the Helsinki International Ballet Competition in 2012 and 2016. Mila is also studying gender studies at the moment.
Anni Martinsén is a dancer with the Finnish National Ballet. After the summer, she will begin her fifth season as a professional dancer.
Riikka Mäkikoskela is an expert in creativity and the creative process. Her creativity expertise is based on her practice as a sculptor. Mäkikoskela now acts as Head of Centre for Radical Creativity at Aalto University. She specializes in leading networks, strategic development, advocacy, and impact. Mäkikoskela’s research interest focuses on the creative process. She has done research on how phenomena and meanings are identified in sensory and bodily experiences and how creative and critical thinking are intertwined with this activity.
Hannele Niiranen-Mattsson is the Chair of the HIBC Association. She has worked professionally in the Finnish performing arts and dance field since 1980 as a dancer, educator, choreographer, and in administrative and production roles. She was a founding member and dancer of Tanssiteatteri Hurjaruuth and has also served as Principal of the Ballet School of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet.
Johanna Osmala serves as the Lead Physiotherapist of the Finnish National Ballet, working together with the physiotherapy team to support the overall wellbeing and health of professional ballet dancers.
Emmi Max Pennanen is a Helsinki-based dance artist. They currently work at Tero Saarinen Company as a dancer and choreographer’s assistant as well as in the freelance field as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Pennanen holds a Master of Arts degree from the Visual Cultures, Curating and Contemporary Art MA program at Aalto University. Pennanen danced at the Finnish National Ballet and at BalletVlaanderen in Belgium from 2009 to 2019. They were a finalist in HIBC 2012.
Satu Ristlakki has worked in the fields of culture, education, and arts education in Finland for nearly thirty years, serving as an advocate, teacher, and principal. She has worked with the Finnish National Opera and Ballet since 2007, working both as an artist and in administrative positions, and has served as Principal of the Ballet School of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet since 2017.
Minna Tervamäki had a long and distinguished career as a principal dancer with the Finnish National Ballet. Over the course of her career, she performed nearly all of the most esteemed leading roles in classical ballet as well as works by major contemporary choreographers and appeared in various galas both in Finland and internationally. After retiring from the Finnish National Ballet in 2012, Tervamäki has focused her work on choreography and interdisciplinary collaboration with other renowned artists, while continuing to perform as a dancer. She has received numerous awards and honors, and has also previously served as Chair of HIBC Association.
Javier Torres has served as Artistic Director of the Finnish National Ballet since 2022. Read Javier Torres’s biography here.
Liisa Vihmanen is a cultural journalist at Yle who has long followed dance in both radio and television. She has produced, among other works, documentary films about the prima ballerina Doris Laine and Tanssiteatteri Raatikko. In the short film series Mikä mua tanssittaa? and in radio series exploring the history of dance, she has examined dance both as an individual life choice and as a cultural phenomenon. Her book Varpaille, balettia koko elämä was published in 2014.
Nicholas Ziegler is the Artistic Coordinator of the Youth Company of the Finnish National Ballet. He studied at the University of Music, Drama and Media in Hannover and at the University of Arts in Munich and he also holds a bachelor’s degree in dance pedagogy. He has danced with the Semperoper Dresden and with the Finnish National Ballet as a lead principal dancer. He performed leading roles in most of the classical ballet repertoire and works by many renowned choreographers and toured internationally throughout his career. He is regularly invited as a juror to international ballet competitions. Ziegler has received the Pro Dance Award, the Edvard Fazer Prize and the Knight of the Order of the Lion of Finland.