Fouette To Finland

After retiring from her illustrious career dancing for then directing the Finnish National Ballet, Doris Laine wasn’t about to take up knitting. Instead, she created the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. Now in its seventh iteration, HIBC will accept 100 promising young dancers to fly to Finland to compete this summer. Applications are open until January 31.

Dates: May 29–June 7

Location: Finnish National Opera House in Helsinki, Finland

Founded: 1984

Jury: Nina Ananiashvili (State Ballet of Georgia), Jorma Elo (choreographer), Makhar Vaziev (La Scala) among others, led by Kenneth Greve (Finnish National Opera)

Junior division: ages 15–19

Senior division: ages 20–25

Fees: Accepted applicants must pay travel expenses, but boarding and lodging are taken care of by the organizing committee

Round 1: Two classical variations from a pre-determind list—seniors can perform a pas de deux instead

Round 2: One 3-5 minute contemporary ballet excerpt

Round 3: A classical pas de deux or two variations from 19th or 20th century repertoire, plus a contemporary excerpt created after 2000

Awards: The grand prix comes with 15,000 euros, plus a first second and third is named for women and men in both senior and junior categories, all of which come with a monetary award. There is also a 6,000 euro prize for choreography. Various scholarships will be given out.

Previous winners: Melissa Hough, Jurgita Dronina, Daniil Simkin, Thiago Bordin, Zdenek Konvalina, Meaghan Hinkis, Jeffrey Cirio, Maria Baranova, Brooklyn Mack, Aino Ettala

Website: balcomphel.fi