The Finnish National Ballet dates its history from the first performance of Swan Lake in Finland on 17 January 1922 - incidentally becoming the first Western ballet company ever to perform the work - and accordingly is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2012.
90th Anniversary Gala of the Finnish National Ballet The 90th anniversary celebrations of the FNB will be launched with two gala performances on 27 and 28 January, featuring a cross-section of past triumphs and current repertoire.
The Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) will be televising highlights of the FNB anniversary gala on TV 1 on Sunday 29 January at 19.00.
90th Anniversary Gala of the Finnish National Ballet
90th Anniversary Gala on TV (on YLE Arena until Feb 28)
Finnish National Ballet on Senate SquareTo celebrate its anniversary year, the FNB is holding a free public performance on Senate Square in central Helsinki on Friday 25 May at 19.00. The programme will be an interesting mix of classical ballet and contemporary dance. The Senate Square performance is kindly sponsored by Sampo Bank.
Finnish National Ballet on summer tourIn the summer, a group of dancers from the FNB will be going on tour in Finland, visiting several cities and towns for free public performances in market squares and similar venues. The performance times and places of the summer tour will be published during the spring. The summer tour is kindly sponsored by Sampo Bank.
Ballet on the Culture TramAt the beginning of the autumn, on 7 September, members of the FNB will visit the Culture Tram; during the afternoon (4pm to 5pm), passengers on the 5 tram line (Opera-Kamppi-Central railway station-Hakaniemi-Kallio) will be treated to ballet performances for the price of a normal public transport ticket.
Foyer exhibitionThe FNB is maintaining a presence in the foyer of the Opera House for the duration of the year 2012, with an exhibition of images and lovely costumes from recent productions. Photos from the past 90 years will be projected over the staircase in the ticket office foyer.
Anniversary publicationIn January, the FNB will be releasing an anniversary publication with a compilation of texts and images showcasing the everyday work and special moments of the FNB, yesterday and today. This publication is available at the Opera Shop and the FNO ticket office.
The Opera Shop (in Finnish)
Ballet Calendar 2012 Enjoy dance photos and get your own Finnish National Ballet Calendar! For each month of the year the calendar includes a photo of a recent ballet production. The calender is available at the Opera Shop and the FNO ticket office.
The Opera Shop (in Finnish)