Dancing in Finland
In Finland dancing was always the international form of art, closely connected with the next – door big cities, such as Stockholm and St.-Petersburg. Influence of St.-Petersburg on the development of ballet in Finland is indisputable, and Stockholm became within one century the second house for many Finnish dancers.
The center of Finnish dance without any doubt became Helsinki though for some decades its geography has considerably extended. Vocational dance training, which began to develop in the largest cities in 80-s, has enlarged culture of dance to capital limits. 90-s appeared to be the period of considerable art growth connected not only with creation of new dancing troupes, but also with new festivals, the producer centers and, first of all, new methods of work and statement.
It is often difficult to be risen to the myth about primitive influence of the Finnish art. It is impossible to separate also a myth from reality: what is at the bottom, and what is the consequence? In spite of the fact that the majority of Finns live in cities and the high technology has got into the smallest villages, the myth keeps representation about Finland, as about the country of thousand lakes and woods.
Nevertheless the Finnish dance lives and breathes in a city rhythm. The Finnish dancers in Finland continue to create it. But, on the other hand, it reflects influence of all features of modern dance. The biggest contribution to it brought German theater of dance and Japanese “buto”, along with contact improvisation during the dance (contact improvisation) and liberation technics (release techniques). In spite of this, the Finnish dance – good or bad, continues to stay in isolation. Its esthetics follows from the cultural environment in which the functional severity of the Finnish design and architecture dominates. Perhaps it explains why in the Finnish dance the physical beginning is accented so strongly.
Finland, first of all is the country of literature, theater and music where corporal aspect usually causes in people feeling of awkwardness. The culture where it is not accepted to speak about a body, expresses the relation to this aspect through dance. In the Finnish culture dances reflect the dominating Lutheran concept about the person and a way of life generated in severe northern conditions.
Many Finnish choreographers are more interested in physical expressiveness than in quality of movement. Their purpose isn’t the view or appeal of a body: they more likely aspire to be released from the standard norms, than to support them. Later lifting the culture of dance has even more strengthened this concept, according to which the body is the only significant factor in dance.
The state support
In Finland existence of all art forms, including dance, depends on the state support. Now on dance it is necessary about 1 % (about 10 million Finnish marks) of the state grants for art. And on this percent the Finnish dance lives and prospers.
In 1983 the national board on dance, in addition to eight existing national boards on art was created. These councils play the central role in management of art: they give out grants to professional actors and represent itself as experts of the Ministry of Public Education.
Distribution of the state support to dance is divided among Council about the dance (which make decisions on grants to actors and support of individual works), the Finnish council about the art, making decisions on support of projects, and the Ministry of Public Education allocating the state support to theaters of dance.
The state support both to drama theaters, and dance theaters is provided by the law. ”The zodiac – the Center of new dance”, getting the state support since 1997, – has seven troupes with which grants are allocated. In 1997 the total sum of grants to dance theaters made 5, 6 million Finnish marks. The national board on dance allocates also grants for new statements still to not generated troupes. In 1996 such support made 930.000 Finnish marks. The means allocated for training to dance, and the state support to National ballet of Finland which in 1994 equaled approximately to 46 million Finnish marks here are not counted.
Besides grants to the generated troupes, the state supports also separate dancers (as well as actors) through system of grants. First of all it is favourable to freelancers. But this system gives also to dancers of stationary theaters possibility to take creative vacation for realization of the projects.
Grants which allocate to actors annually, have huge value. In 1997 on dance art two were assigned one grant for a period of five years, – for three years and five – on a year. The last can be divided into six-monthly periods also. They aren’t taxed. Their annual size (1997) was about 14.300 US dollars. Council about art gives out grants for projects to separate actors and troupes, and also financially encourages studying abroad.
Policy in the field of dance
High lights of the policy in the field of dance can be divided into two directions: on the one hand, intensive development of vocational training in 80 years, with another – attempt to strengthen a position of dance theaters, entering them into sphere of regular state support. Higher education in this area began in 1983 on dance chair at theatrical art Institute in Helsinki. Soon four more professional educational institutions in different parts of the country were opened.
In dancing troupes, including National ballet of Finland, less than 30 percent of all dancers , is occupied. The big problem in the dance policy is rendering support to freelancers and young dancers, their attraction in sphere of dancing art of the country. The national board on dance has paid attention to this problem and, from its part, supports individual choreographers. Besides maintenance of the basic preconditions for the art activity, yet there are unsolved problems connected with the social status of actors, the taxation, financial position of retired dancers. Appreciable growth of state financing is not expected in the present policy going to reduction of expenses on public sector.
