Dance House Helsinki construction site next to the Cable Factory. Photo: Jonne Sippola.

Finland's first venue dedicated to dance will open its doors in the Ruoholahti district of Helsinki in late 2021. Opening of Dance House Helsinki will inevitably change the conditions in the field of dance in Finland. Dance House Helsinki's premises and production structure will involve new artistic and production-related opportunities for professionals in the field. The SPARKS project's aim is to learn the rules and patterns of the new operating environment together and find sustainable production models. The project's budget totals €800,000, of which the Finnish Cultural Foundation's share is €500,000.

“The Finnish Cultural Foundation has supported Dance House Helsinki since the planning stage, that is, from 2011. We have followed the project's smooth progress and we are glad that, very soon, dance professionals will have a new venue to develop cooperation and create new content. It was easy to make the positive decision to support the SPARKS project," says Jari Sokka, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

The project will produce three premieres, respectively, for the Erkko Hall that seats 700 people and the Pannuhalli stage that seats 250 people. The working groups of the productions to be selected for the Erkko Hall will comprise artists with a keen interest in large stage productions and who are willing to develop their ideas about the relationship with the audience on a large stage. The productions to be seen in the Pannuhalli stage will focus on facilitating the work of artists in the initial stages of their careers. The project's focus of attention will be on a nationwide approach and embracing the broad spectrum of dance.

“For Dance House Helsinki, the SPARKS project's launch will be the first significant initiative towards constructing our content. Simultaneously, it offers a huge opportunity for Finnish dance professionals to develop their work. Without the Finnish Cultural Foundation's generous funding, it would be impossible for us to implement a project on a similar scale. We are extremely glad that we will be able to implement such an extensive multiannual project. We are confident that, in this project, exceptionally interesting content will be created for viewers to see. It is time to dream and think of the potentials now that the resources are in place!" says Dance House Helsinki Director Matti Numminen, describing his vision.

The SPARKS project's application process will open in spring 2020 and the work with the production ideas is expected to begin in autumn 2020. Further information about the project's implementation in detail, and the schedule, will be disclosed when the application process is opened.

FURTHER INFORMATION:
Director Matti Numminen, +358 50 467 0276, matti.numminen@tanssintalo.fi
Director of Legal Affairs Kristiina Rintala, +358 9 6128 1246, kr@skr.fi

REQUESTS FOR INTERVIEWS:
Head of Marketing and Communications Noora Kykkänen, +358 44 593 2460, noora.kykkanen@tanssintalo.fi