Founder of the competition
Doris Laine (1931–2018)
The first Helsinki International Ballet Competition was held in 1984. Professor Doris Laine, who had a long career as a dancer with the Finnish National Ballet, had been invited to serve on the juries of international ballet competitions in Jackson, Moscow and Varna, among others. Laine’s experience as a ballet competition judge and her extensive international connections gave her the courage to start building Helsinki into one of the most interesting destinations in the ballet world.
Initially, Doris Laine’s idea for a Helsinki International Ballet Competition was sceptical. However, the City of Helsinki, major cultural foundations and business representatives came to support Laine and her mission. The theatre’s information centre served as the office for the first ballet competition, and the competition was held at the Helsinki City Theatre immediately after Midsummer in 1984. The competitions were a success and brought in revenue – thanks to the competitors, the jury, the audience, partners, the competition organisers, the passionate and creative volunteers, as well as Doris Laine’s profound knowledge of ballet and, of course, Finnish spirit.
The collaboration between the Finnish National Opera and Ballet and the Helsinki International Ballet Competition began in the mid-1990s. Doris Laine was invited to lead the ballet company of the Berlin Comic Opera and was appointed honorary president of the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. The competition’s new artistic director was Jorma Uotinen, the then director of the Finnish National Ballet. The competition’s mission was renewed and more attention was paid to choreography than before.
The subsequent artistic directors of the National Ballet, Dinna Björn, Kenneth Greve, Madeleine Onne and Javier Torres, have further developed the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. Today, Helsinki hosts one of the world’s most famous and best-organized international ballet competitions.
Photo: National Board of Antiquities, Historical Picture Collection, Studio Kuvasiskojen Collection