And fortunately, the school, which has been operating in the city for more than 20 years, has reunited with the company. We found a space in the Opera House. And in January, students and staff traveled en masse on a special tram that was televised on the evening news. “I can already feel the energy of the ballet students in the house,” Kadambi said.
Not only that, but the company kicked off its next 100th anniversary on August 1st with a new director, Javier Torres. Although not Finnish, Torres, 59, was born in Mexico. During his twelve years he danced and choreographed the company. He also speaks fluent Finnish (an extraordinary feat) and has what he calls its values: humane conditions for all workers, even seamstresses and, of course, dancers. I love my home.
But what about those dancers? The Finnish government’s bold decision to support the arts in the late 1950s and into his 60s bore fruit in other areas as well. Think of modern Finnish musicians, especially conductors with prominent positions around the world (a few are now “attempting” to conduct the New York Philharmonic Orchestra).
Comparing ballet and music creates a biased equation.Musicians don’t have to look special, but ballet dancers that is Their instruments—and Finland has a much smaller pool of bodies to choose from than other countries.
So if there are not enough Finns in the Finnish National Ballet, is it possible to establish a company identity? For Torres, ballet companies around the world face an identity crisis. “We all have the same product,” he said. “In Lyon, Paris and Oslo you can meet Killian, Forsythe and Crystal Pite.” What does he do about it? “I encourage young dancers to create for me” and hold “choreography workshops for the home”.