Press Release 8 August 2025

International guests from Australia, Spain and the United States

The autumn season opens as part of Helsinki Festival, which brings Australia’s leading contemporary dance company, Sydney Dance Company, to Dance House Helsinki from 28–30 August with works by two acclaimed choreographers. Rafael Bonachela’s Impermanence is a visually arresting and thrilling exploration of the opposing forces of beauty and destruction. The dancers perform alongside the Australian String Quartet. Antony Hamilton’s award-winning Forever & Ever hypnotically fuses dance, techno, high-fashion imagery and live light art. The festival also features two distinct musical experiences by New York-based Bang on a Can All-Stars on 19–20 August, complemented by free film screenings on Night of the Arts, 14 August.

Tero Saarinen Company welcomes the Spanish collective Kor’sia to the Erkko Hall on 26–27 September with Mont Ventoux, a work inspired by a text by 14th-century poet Francesco Petrarch, exploring humanity through virtuosic dance.

The Dance House Helsinki International Guest Series continues from 29–31 October with Cassette Vol. 1 by A.I.M by Kyle Abraham – a performance steeped in nostalgia and camp, set to the pop hits of the 1980s. Abraham’s works intertwine Black American culture, queer perspectives and the diversity of contemporary dance. In Cassette Vol. 1, ten dancers deliver powerful choreography to music by artists including The Bangles, Cyndi Lauper and Billy Idol.

Multidisciplinary thinking in new works

Domestic premieres offer multidisciplinary visions and worlds revealed through movement.

In the Erkko Hall, award-winning choreographer Ismo-Pekka Heikinheimo presents Pneuma Enthusiastikon (11–13 September), guiding audiences through a reflection on the power of movement, connection and life via a precisely crafted choreographic and visual language, performed by seven dancers.

Johanna Nuutinen +Collaborators’ Élixir de Mer (25–27 September) explores the physical resonance of scents in dance, awakening sensory memories stored deep within the body. The work is the fourth in choreographer Johanna Nuutinen’s series of explorations into the senses.

Tanssiteatteri Tsuumi and Teatteri Metamorfoosi present Trust (9–11 October), combining dance, theatre and digital media, based on a text by renowned German contemporary playwright Falk Richter.

Produced by Zodiak – Centre for New Dance, Emmi Venna’s Grid (3–13 December) unfolds movement by movement into a rich, generous microcosm of dance.

Revivals and choreographic portraits from leading artists

The autumn season also features choreographic showcases from renowned creators. Susanna Leinonen Company’s triple bill RAW (8–11 October) offers a cross-section of Leinonen’s physically intense and emotionally charged works. Alongside two classics – Ei kukaan, vain ystäväsi and Suo tihkua vihreä tammi – the evening includes a new creation, Pain Killer.

Raekallio Corp. brings choreographer Tommi Kitti’s popular works Asetelma neljälle tanssijalle and Spiraali to the Pannuhalli (15–18 October). For the first time, these works will be performed with live music, provided by the four-piece Doina Klezmer Orchestra.

Star dancer Atte Kilpinen’s Kreutzersonaatti (1 October) immerses the audience in a dialogue between music, literature and dance. Based on Leo Tolstoy’s classic novella, the performance blends ballet and contemporary dance.

Petri Kekoni Company joins forces with Avanti! Chamber Orchestra in The Meaning of Zero (2–4 October), where physical movement and live music converse on the fundamentals of existence.

In November, the stages are taken over by the TOIVOLA Festival (13–15 November), curated by Jani Toivola, offering spaces for hope, discussion and performances on pressing contemporary issues.

For young dancers, enthusiasts and families

Amateur and youth dance take centre stage throughout the autumn. Sibelius Upper Secondary School presents The WEAVER (16 September), featuring 21 young dancers. Ndjara Dance Company’s school showcase For Peace 2025 (14 December) blends hip hop, African and contemporary dance. Attitude Helsinki dance school offers SQUARE (16 December), a four-part programme bringing together contemporary dance and ballet, performed by both amateurs and professionals.

Based on poems by Kirsi Kunnas, Glims & Gloms’ Tii-tii-tiitiäinen (13 September) enchants the whole family. Six performers bring to life beloved characters familiar to generations from Kunnas’s works – including Tiitiäinen, Haitula, Tättähäärä, Herra Pii Poo, Siili and Peikko.

As winter approaches, Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth takes over Dance House Helsinki with Winter Circus Film (22 December – 6 January 2026), combining dance, circus and cinematic fantasy. The work is directed by Hurjaruuth’s new Artistic Director, Jyrki Karttunen.

The Dance House Helsinki programme also includes clubs, artist talks and more. Full programme: www.tanssintalo.fi/ohjelma

Further information: Saara Oranen, Communications – saara@tanssintalo.fi, +358 44 566 1903
Press images: Dance House Helsinki press folder (Programme images)

Dance House Helsinki
Dance House Helsinki is Finland’s foremost venue dedicated to dance, offering world-class facilities for a wide-ranging, year-round programme for audiences of all sizes. The venue presents both Finnish and international dance and performing arts productions. Its programme consists of content produced by a variety of cultural operators as well as projects initiated and produced by Dance House Helsinki itself. Dance House Helsinki is supported by the City of Helsinki and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. The Dance House Helsinki International Guest Series is supported by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.

www.tanssintalo.fi