Antti Lahti appointed as the director of the Helsinki City Theatre’s dance group

The Board of Directors of the Helsinki Theatre Foundation has appointed dancer and choreographer Antti Lahti as the director of the Helsinki City Theatre’s dance company. According to the agreement, Antti Lahti will act as the leader of the dance company and the supervisor of the dancers, and his primary task will be to be responsible for the artistic quality of the company and the development of its operations. The employment contract is fixed-term and valid from 1.10.2020 to 30.9.2022.

A total of 15 applications were received for the position, and seven of the applicants were invited for an interview. The interviewers were theatre director Kari Arffman, financial and administrative director Helena Reilin and choreographer, dancer and academician Marjo Kuusela as an external invited expert.

“For the first time, we were looking for a director for a dance company through an open, public call. It was great to see how many applicants had a positive desire to develop Helsinki Dance Company. We are now happy to start a new decade with a new director,” says Theatre Director Kari Arffman.

“The dance company of the Helsinki City Theatre has always had an important position in the Finnish dance art as a whole, both artistically and as an employer of dancers. It’s great to be able to take the activities of this group with a rich history forward, ensure long-term planning for the future, and work with a multidisciplinary artist ensemble consisting of top professionals,” says Antti Lahti.

The Dancers’ Staff Association also gave its unanimous statement in favour of the selection of the director.

“The whole dance group is relieved and happy about this decision. The atmosphere is enthusiastic and positively forward-looking,” says dancer and shop steward Kirsi Karlenius.

Antti Lahti (b. 1979) graduated as a dancer from the Turku Conservatory in 1999.  He has supplemented his studies by completing the theatre director training at the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2012-2013. Lahti has worked in the field of dance for 20 years in various positions, including as a dancer at the Sun Ballet and as a dancer and choreographer at Dance Theatre Minimi. He served as the artistic director of Minimi from 2006 to 2014, during which time Minimi was chosen as the Theatre of the Year. At the moment, Lahti is the artistic director of the Time of Dance festival. During her career, Lahti has also held several positions of trust in the dance industry.

Helsinki City Theatre’s dance company, Helsinki Dance Company, is the only dance company in Finland operating in connection with a permanent professional theatre. Founded in 1973, the group has performed on all the stages of the City Theatre and toured in Finland and abroad. The dancers have also participated in musicals and spoken word plays produced by the Helsinki City Theatre as dancers, singers, actors and choreographers. They have distinguished themselves as versatile stage personalities, whose creative energy has been utilised in their work by many top choreographers and directors in Finland and abroad. The artistic directors of the group have been Jorma Uotinen (1987-90), Carolyn Carlson (1991-92), Marjo Kuusela (1992-96), Kenneth Kvarnström (1996-99), Ari Tenhula (2000-02) and Nigel Charnock (2003-05), Ville Sormunen (2006-09), Kenneth Kvarnström (2010-13) and Jyrki Karttunen (2013-17).

Helsinki Dance Company’s next premiere is Two-Colour Fugue, a collaboration with Carl Knif Company, which will premiere on 19 March at Studio Pasila.

Further information and interview requests: Kaisa Pelkonen, 0405523788, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi
Press photo image bank.

Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki