Finnish National Ballet 100 Years

This is our coming of age story. We were born 100 years ago, and ever since then we’ve been unstoppable.

We are fuelled by movement, its power and beauty. Its natural beauty, to be exact. We love to perform but not to pretend. Authenticity is our passion. In our family, everyone can be who they are – onstage and in the audience.

Though our dancers come from around the world and we work on international classics, our roots are right here, in this country and this city. It feels beautiful to be at home.

We’ll be celebrating our birthday throughout the year, and you’re invited to the party. Let’s make this a centenary to remember.

Artistic Director’s greetings

Dear audience,

we’re delighted to have you celebrating the centenary of the Finnish National Ballet with us. It’s been a great honour and a pleasure to put together the programme for this landmark occasion.

The very first performance of the Finnish National Ballet took place on 17 January 1922, with ballet master George Gé’s choreography of Swan Lake. That’s why it’s particularly wonderful to start off our centenary year with a new Swan Lake, which has been custom made for us here in Finland and our ballet dancers.

This once in a lifetime occasion calls for unforgettable celebration. At the same time, I want to express my personal thanks as I take my leave after four exciting years. The Finnish National Ballet is a fantastic ballet company with magnificent dancers from Finland and virtually every corner of the globe.

Here’s for the next one hundred years and all the exciting things to come for this amazing opera and ballet institution. CHEERS!

– Madeleine Onne, Artistic Director of the Ballet

Discover our story

In a hundred years of history there’s time for many stories. Read about the twists and turns of the Finnish National Ballet and peek behind the scenes. You can browse the articles by clicking the arrows on the photos. You’ll also find them all at the bottom of the page. Click here to go straight to the articles.

Read all our ballet themed stories in the Offstage section.

Twists and turns of the Finnish National Ballet

The Finnish Opera establishes a ballet company

Gé, Saxelin, and Gé again

Tours for soldiers and sad news from the front

Summer tours and films bring ballet to the entire nation

From a private ballet academy to professional education

International stars from the east and west

Ballet masters change, Sylvestersson remains

The Finnish National Ballet as an ambassador for Finland

To the new Opera House with Laine and Uotinen

The international National Ballet

Arena tours and school visits

From dancers to choreographers

Ballet gains equal status under Nordic directors

The Youth Company offers career opportunities

Years of exceptional circumstances

Peek behind the scenes

The story of pointe shoes

”I love dancing en pointe”

Soloist dancer Antti Keinänen

”Pointework gives me a sense of freedom and power”

”Ballet shoes are a principal tool for me”

”I wish that one day someone would develop a ballet shoe that felt just like a sock”

”It’s amazing how a ballerina balances her entire body on just the toes”

Make-up Artist Daniela Echkart

Our centenary repertoire

Swan Lake

Sibelius

Clique

Triple Bill: Made in Finland

Finnish National Ballet’s Centenary Gala

Celebrate ballet in the comfort of your home

Our Stage24 virtual stage kick starts the centenary celebrations in January with a live broadcast of Swan Lake. Other live streamed performances in the coming spring include the brand new ballet, Sibelius, and the Centenary Gala of the Finnish National Ballet. You will find the live broadcasts in the Live section of Stage24.

Besides live streaming, Stage24 brings you recordings, trailers, introductory talks, and other fascinating background information. We hope you enjoy what you see!

Watch recordings Check out live broadcasts

#Ballet100

”I can’t think of anywhere I could be happier than at the Finnish National Ballet. I can do work that I love in my home country with the best colleagues. It’s wonderful to have so many ballet lovers in Finland that our company can have thrived for a full century.”

– SARI IKONEN, DANCER

Dancers

Dancers of the Finnish National Ballet

Established in 1922, the Finnish National Ballet is Finland’s only full-sized professional ballet company. Today, it is a highly international crowd of 77 dancers, representing 21 nationalities between them. There is also a youth group at the FNB, comprising 12 fresh graduates.

Get to know our dancers

An appeal from our dancers

Donate ballet shoes to a dancer

Our ballerinas dance through approximately 2,160 pairs of ballet shoes in every season. In the same period of time, male dancers require approximately 1,600 pairs of soft ballet shoes. By donating towards ballet shoes, you’ll make a significant contribution to our dancers’ ability to practice their unique profession.

Time to celebrate!