To mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, the Helsinki International Ballet Competition has been postponed to a later date. The ninth competition to date had been scheduled to take place from 1 to 8 June 2020 at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet.
The Chairman of the Board of the Helsinki International Ballet Competition Association, Jorma Uotinen, says that estimates for the epidemic’s development in Finland and the rest of the world have made it clear that moving the competition is the only responsible option. “The wellbeing of the competitors, jury, audience, and the ballet competition staff and volunteers is now paramount.”
The target is to set a new date for the ballet competition as soon as possible. The Finnish National Opera and Ballet will credit the value of any ticket(s) purchased to the ticket holder's customer account at oopperabaletti.fi/en. Upon request, a refund can also be made on a credit card or bank account. For detailed instructions, please visit ibchelsinki.fi/tickets.
“We have been delighted to see the enthusiasm our event has generated amongst competitors and dance lovers everywhere around the world. We are convinced that the Helsinki International Ballet Competition will be a magnificent event, regardless of this change of date,” says Secretary General of the competition, Paula Ranto.
The Helsinki International Ballet Competition, founded by Professor Doris Laine-Almi (1931–2018) in 1984, ranks among the world’s biggest and most demanding international ballet competitions. 89 dancers from 23 countries had been accepted to participate in the 2020 competition.
Madeleine Onne, the President of the HIBC 2020 jury has shared a message with competitors: Read the message here.