This year marks a major milestone for Finnish contemporary dance as several of its pioneering artists and influential companies celebrate key anniversaries. Since the 1980s, successive generations of dance makers, companies, and associations have driven the field’s development, establishing Finland’s contemporary dance scene on the international stage.
Liisa Pentti | 40th artist anniversary
Choreographer Liisa Pentti graduated from the School for New Dance Development (SNDO) at the Amsterdam Theatre School in 1986. In the 1980s, she emerged as one of the key postmodern dance artists who reshaped Finnish dance and cultural life.
Alongside her artistic practice, Pentti was a central figure in founding and developing Zodiak Presents and Zodiak – Center for New Dance from 1987 to 2011. She co-founded the Side Step Festival, serving on its artistic team from 1996 to 2009, and was Artistic Director of the Full Moon Dance Festival in 2013.
In 2000, she established Liisa Pentti +Co, a company firmly rooted in the international landscape of dance, performance art, and contemporary theatre. Her work is defined by artistic experimentation and a continuous search for new forms of expression. Pentti works internationally as a teacher, dancer, and choreographer, and was awarded the State Prize for Performing Arts in 2019.
The highlight of her anniversary year is the premiere of Zone Critique, at Konepaja Stage in Helsinki, running from October 28 to November 8.
Alpo Aaltokoski | 40th artist anniversary
Choreographer Alpo Aaltokoski, celebrating 40 years as an artist, established Alpo Aaltokoski Company in 1995. Over his career, Aaltokoski has created more than 65 choreographies performed in over 30 countries.
Alpo Aaltokoski Company holds a distinctive record as the Finnish dance group that has toured most extensively in Latin America. The company’s anniversary celebrations will culminate in autumn 2027 with a tour of Bolivia and Mexico, including performances in Mexico City and teaching residencies in Querétaro.
Aaltokoski has also served as an Artist Professor and as Artistic Director of the Full Moon Dance Festival. His recognitions in Finland include the prestigious Pro Finlandia Medal.
From October 27 to 31, Alpo Aaltokoski Company hosts Celebration of Three Solos and an anniversary week at Dance House Helsinki, featuring three international female dancers interpreting distinct solo works. In April, anniversary programming continues at Dance House Helsinki with an evening of male solos, including the premiere of Mies laiturilla (Man on the Pier), performed by Aaltokoski himself.
Tero Saarinen Company | 30th anniversary
Choreographer Tero Saarinen founded his own company in 1996 together with dancers Henrikki Heikkilä and Yuval Pick, and lighting designer Mikki Kunttu. The company’s debut work, Westward Ho!, was selected for the Aerowaves showcase in London in 1997, triggering its international breakthrough.
Tero Saarinen Company (TSC) is recognized for productions that integrate expressive movement, striking visual design, and live music. Today, TSC employs 17 full-time staff members and collaborates regularly with freelance artists across disciplines.
Throughout its history, TSC has performed in 40 countries. Alongside Saarinen’s works, the repertoire also features works by guest choreographers. As a program partner of Dance House Helsinki, the company produces guest performances by international companies in addition to its own performance runs. The company also teaches Tero Technique internationally.
Tero Saarinen Company celebrated its 30-year history at Dance House Helsinki in September with the triple bill Wild Is the Wind, exploring the dialogue between tradition and innovation.
Kekäläinen & Company | 30th anniversary
Choreographer and dancer Sanna Kekäläinen integrates philosophy, gender politics, environmental criticism, writing, and feminist theory into a distinct movement language.
A pioneering auteur of Finnish contemporary dance, Kekäläinen has created over 80 works since 1982 in cross-disciplinary collaborations with visual artists, writers, composers, and musicians. She is also one of the founding members of Zodiak – Center for New Dance. Since its establishment in 1996, Kekäläinen & Company’s works have also been widely presented abroad.
Her collaborative project Conversas com Formigas, created with Portuguese and Spanish partners, will be presented at Teatro Ensalle in Vigo, Spain, in January 2027.
The company’s 30th-anniversary production, Hysteria Mundi – Improvisations on the State of the World, builds upon Kekäläinen’s seminal 1991 work Studien über Hysterie, a classic in Finnish contemporary dance history. Hysteria Mundi re-examines the original work’s 35-year trajectory against today’s climate emergency and global ecosystem shifts.
Hysteria Mundi – Improvisations on the State of the World, will be performed in Helsinki at the Alexander Theatre on December 1–2 and at Stoa Cultural Centre on December 15–19.
Susanna Leinonen Company | 25th anniversary
Susanna Leinonen Company is known for works combining rigorous physicality, emotional intensity, and technical virtuosity. Minimalist visual design centers the dancers’ physical presence within immersive movement landscapes.
The company has toured 30 countries, appearing at major venues and festivals across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Leinonen’s artistic achievements have been recognized with honors including the Finland Prize and the Helsinki Cultural Prize.
The anniversary season concludes on November 19–21 at Konepaja Stage in Helsinki with the premiere of Head x Space. The work investigates inner mental space, contrasting suppressed memories with the immediate present. The production also marks Leinonen’s return to the stage as a performer.
The anniversary season concludes on November 19–21 at Konepaja Stage in Helsinki with the premiere Head x Space. The work investigates inner mental space, contrasting suppressed memories with the immediate present. The production also marks Leinonen’s return to the stage as a performer.