New dancers to Helsinki Dance Company – internationally acclaimed artist couple choreographers for the spring premiere

The flood of applications for the audition organised by Helsinki Dance Company in September 2024 surprised Valtteri Raekallio, who started as the group’s director in August. More than 220 dancers from 21 different countries applied for the audition. “There were a lot of really tough applicants, which of course made me very happy. HDC has a good reputation and the group is also of international interest. We selected 18 dancers for the audition, and we would like to work with every one of them in the future,” says Valtteri Raekallio. “We hired three dancers for this season based on auditions, but we are constantly in need of dancers for both our contemporary dance and musical theatre productions. In the future, we aim to organize an annual audition for professionals and a separate audition for students applying for an internship,” Raekallio continues. The new dancers of the group are Aksinja Lommi, who was hired for 2025, Anna Virkkunen, who was hired as a guest for the spring 2025 DREAMER performance, and Anni Koskinen, who will be a guest in the autumn 2025 dance performance. In 2025, Raekallio wants to further intensify cooperation with the independent field of dance by organising monthly one-on-one curatorial meetings with artists. At the meetings, ideas for works and proposals are sought that could be realised as HKT’s productions with the dancers and resources of Helsinki Dance Company, and other current plans and thoughts are discussed with the creators. Similar curatorial meetings are also utilised in HKT’s Contemporary Performance Stage activities. DREAMER introduces the internationally acclaimed choreographer duo HDC’s spring premiere to the Finnish audience DREAMER is a multidisciplinary dance work about the interaction between the visible and invisible worlds. Choreographed by Annamari Keskinen and Ryan Mason, the performance invites the audience to a surreal waiting room where human bodies, movement, music and space merge. The expressive performers of the work, Sofia Hilli, Jyrki Kasper, Aksinja Lommi, Pekka Louhio, Mikko Paloniemi, Justus Pienmunne, Inka Tiitinen and Anna Virkkunen, lead the audience on a journey into the deep currents of the subconscious, where hidden fears, hopes, and pleasures become tangible – flesh and movement. DREAMER makes visible our relentless pursuit of the unbelievable, even in the face of the impossible. William Iles is responsible for the set and lighting design. The costumes are designed by Elina Kolehmainen and the camouflage by Ronja Nylund. The sound design is by Timo Tikka, who has also composed the music for the work together with Saara Viikka.  Choreographers Annamari Keskinen (1985, Finland) and Ryan Mason (1980, USA) have become known for their unique, strongly physical and often cinematic, internationally acclaimed stage works. Helsinki Dance Company is a contemporary dance company founded in 1973 in connection with the Helsinki City Theatre. Helsinki Dance Company has worked with several renowned artists over the years and has also had a significant impact on the professionalization of dance art in Finland. In addition to independent dance productions, dancers have performed extensively in theatre productions from plays to musicals, as well as worked in choreographic tasks. The company is known for its charismatic and expressive dancers, as well as its visually polished and movement-strong works. At the moment, the group produces two premieres a year, one in the autumn season and one in the spring season. In August 2024, dancer and choreographer Valtteri Raekallio started as the leader of the dance group.  DREAMER premieres on 20.3.2025 at the Helsinki City Theatre’s studio in Pasila (Ratamestarinkatu 5). Tickets: student ticket €18 (Mon–Thu), pensioner ticket €33 (Mon–Thu), basic ticket €36#dreamer @hktfi @helsinkidancecompany Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 3940 22 Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Ticket offices Ensi linja 2, Mon-Fri 12-17, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (performance days) 11-18.30 and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9-21, Sun 10-16, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/from min+local network charge) www.hkt.fi Press release photo: Kai KuusistoFurther information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:Communications Manager Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788 Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki