HEL Treats offered a taste of Finnish dance, circus and theatre to international presenters and journalists

Circus & Dance Info Finland, together with several other performing arts organisations, invited international artistic directors, programmers and journalists from leading institutions to Helsinki for a fast-track introduction to what is currently happening in Finnish dance, circus and theatre.

The aim of the visit was to strengthen international relations, exchanges and touring opportunities for Finnish performing arts.

The HEL Treats programme offered a glimpse to Finnish performing arts in a compact format for professionals arriving from more than ten countries.

During the programme, held 20–22 August, guests met artists at Cirko and Zodiak, learned about Tero Saarinen Company and Wauhaus, visited & Espoo Theatre, Dance House Helsinki and Viirus Theatre, and attended the premiere of Tempo by Kalle Nio and Fernando Melo at Helsinki Festival. Some saw an open rehearsal at Lilla Teatern or the Arctic Ensemble circus performance in Vantaa.

Altogether, the visitors were introduced to the work of over 20 artists or companies and visited seven venues and studios.

Presenters took part from the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Canada, Latvia, Norway, France, Sweden, Germany, Slovenia, Denmark and Hungary.

Among the participants were artistic leaders and programmers from major houses such as La Villette (Paris), Southbank Centre (London), TOHU (Montreal) and Riksteatern (Stockholm).

New encounters, new ideas, new collaborations

Feedback from participants highlighted the quality of the organisation and the valuable opportunity to connect with new artists.

The majority of visitors reported that they had discovered new artists or works they were interested in learning more about. Four out of five said they planned to contact or had already contacted some artists or companies to discuss potential future collaborations.

Thanks for generous encounters and sharing of inspiring dance, performance, circus & cultural politics. Patiently organised by Circus & Dance Info Finland and set on fire by amazing artists and venues – for sure good stuff for [our] international dance festival🔥” – feedback from a participant

The programme was organised by Circus & Dance Info Finland in collaboration with Theatre Info Finland (TINFO), Helsinki Festival, Espoo Theatre, Zodiak – Centre for New Dance, Cirko – Centre for New Circus, and Viirus Theatre.

The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland supported the visit, with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs serving as the main funder. The event also received support from other Finnish cultural institutes abroad: FinnAgora – Finnish Institute in Hungary, The Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute, The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, The Finnish Institute in France and The Finnish Institute in Germany.