Three Finns in Finals of Helsinki Ballet Competition
Finnish competitor Emmi Pennanen at the Helsinki Opera House.
Image: YLE
The final round of the sixth Helsinki International Ballet Competition begins on Tuesday at the Opera House. The 21 senior finalists include two Finns, Aino Ettala and Tiina Myllymäki. A third, Maria Baranova, is among the seven junior finalists.
The second round, held over the weekend, focused on contemporary ballet pieces. These included works by Finnish choreographers Jorma Elo and Marianne Rouhiainen.
The finals will be held on the main stage at the Helsinki Opera House on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Each contestant is to dance one classical and one modern number which he or she has not performed earlier in the competition.
The winners will be announced on Thursday.
In the junior series for dancers aged 15 to 18, Baranova is joined by three Americans and one entrant each from China, Hungary, South Africa and South Korea.
The senior series, for those aged 19 to 25, features seven Chinese dancers, along with three South Koreans and two each from Armenia, Belarus and Finland.
The winners will be awarded the 12,000 euro Gloria Grand Prix. The three best male and female dancers in each series will also receive prizes totaling 50,000 euros.
YLE