Tero Saarinen Company is a dance group led by Finnish dance artist and choreographer Tero Saarinen, which he founded in 1996. In Helsinki the group is the programme partner of Dance House Helsinki, where the company presents Tero Saarinen's works along with pieces by guest choreographers and produces international guest performances. The company's activities also include the teaching of Tero Technique both in Finland and internationally and a residency program at TSC Studio, located at the Cable Factory in Helsinki.
Tero Saarinen Company is considered one of Finland's leading cultural exports.Haapanen, Irmeli. Opetusministeriö jakoi kulttuuriviennin kärkihankkeisiin 1,7 miljoonaa euroa, Kevyt musiikki ja Tero Saarinen tuetuimmat. Turun Sanomat 21.3.2008 The group has performed in 40 countries. The company's pieces and Saarinen's choreographies have been a part of the repertoire of other leading dance companies around the world. Tero Saarinen Company The group follows the network-centric organization model, and employs about 80–120 people each year, 17 of whom have permanent posts. Annual report 2024. Tero Saarinen Company
The company's own works are created as international co-productions and are known for their multidisciplinarity. "Company" Tero Saarinen Company. The company's distinctive movement language is based in a movement technique developed by Saarinen, called Tero Technique, which blends influences from Western and Asian dance traditions and from classical and contemporary influences.
History Tero Saarinen, an international soloist, assembled the dance group Company ToothpickTero Saarinen & Company Toothpick. Tanka – the Finnish Dance Database. in 1995 as an instrument for expressing his own choreographic vision. Saarinen wanted to work on a more permanent basis with inspired artists who shared his values.Lappalainen, Tiina: Boundary pusher. vol. 2,2011. Blue 1 Dream The group's founding members, alongside Saarinen, were his colleague Henrikki Heikkilä from the Finnish National Ballet, Yuval Pick from Batsheva Dance Company, and Lighting Designer Mikki Kunttu. Company Toothpick was given a humorous name to commemorate the matchstick factory in Pori, where Saarinen was born.Wessman, Lili: Blue Ladyssa tanssii ihminen, ei mies mekossa. 25.10.2009 Satakunnan Kansa.
The group's first piece, Westward Ho! premiered in Stockholm's Dansens Hus on 18 February 1996.Westward Ho! Tero Saarinen Company In 1997 the group was invited to perform the piece at the first Aerowaves platform held at The Place Theatre in London. The performance marked Saarinen's international breakthrough as a choreographer,Isola, Samuli: Dance, technology and a big heart / Tanz, Technologie und grosses Hertz Spring/Summer 2007. Welcome to Finland. and the group began receiving invitations from all over Europe.Räsänen, Auli: Tero Saarisella on näytön paikka. Helsingin Sanomat, 25.4.1998.
In 2000 Company Toothpick acquired office space in The Alexander Theatre. In 2001 the group took on its first full-time employee, when its current Managing Director Iiris Autio began working as Saarinen's manager and the group's producer. In 2002 the group changed its name to Tero Saarinen Company, and in 2004 it became eligible for regular state subsidy under the Finnish Theatre and Orchestra Act, and began receiving operational funding from both the Finnish State and the City of Helsinki.Annual Report, 2012. Tero Saarinen Company.
The Alexander Theatre in Helsinki has been the company's home since 1999–2019. Tero Saarinen Company was the Alexander Theatre's official resident company since 2005. In addition to regular performances, the theatre housed the group's office and rehearsal space – the same studio where Tero Saarinen started his professional career in 1982, when the building was still the home of the Finnish National Ballet.The Alexander Theatre. Tero Saarinen Company In addition to the Alexander Theatre, the company also performed at The Finnish National Opera and Finnish National Theatre. Since 2019 the company's office and studio are located at the Cable Factory in Helsinki.
Performances
Operations in Helsinki In Helsinki Tero Saarinen Company TSC's home stage is Dance House Helsinki, where the company presents its own seasons yearly. These include pieces by Tero Saarinen, by guest choreographers and guest performances by international companies. In addition to performances, the group's activities in Helsinki include teaching and community outreach projects.
Touring Tero Saarinen Company toured in 40 countries on all continents. The group has performed in venues and at events including: Maison de la danse in Lyon; Théâtre du Châtelet and Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris; the Movimentos festival in Wolfsburg; Tanz im August in Berlin; Kampnagel in Hamburg; The Joyce Theater; New York City Center; and BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music; Howard Gilman Opera House) in New York; Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Massachusetts; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; Southbank Centre in London; Chekhov International Theatre Festival in Moscow; Alexandrinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg; The Ibero-American Theater Festival in Bogota; Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires in Argentina; SIDance in Seoul; Perth International Arts Festival in Perth, Australia; and New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington.
Most of the group's works are produced as international co-productions. Co-producers include: The Joyce Theatre (USA); Automne en Normandie (France); Maison de la danse (France); Venice Biennale (Italy); Southbank Centre (UK); Dansens Hus (Sweden); and Kuopio Dance Festival (Finland).
Premieres
Saarinen has produced 46 original works altogether, 17 of them for his own group. (April 2018)
Tero Saarinen Company has staged a total of 17 original works by Saarinen, and has also incorporated into its repertoire some of Saarinen's other works, along with solo pieces given to Saarinen by Carolyn Carlson. Tero Saarinen Company's key works include: the company's breakthrough opus Westward Ho! (1996); Saarinen's Stravinsky works Petrushka (2001) and HUNT (2002);Moisio, Mikki: Tanssia koko elämä. Anna, 23.3.2005. the Shaker inspired Borrowed Light (2004), "Morphed" (2014) set to the music of Esa-Pekka Salonen and "Kullervo", a large-scale co-production with The Finnish National Opera and Ballet featuring the music of Jean Sibelius.
The solo piece HUNT (2002),Hunt press quotes a collaboration with Multimedia Artist Marita Liulia, has attracted exceptional international attention.Rockwell, John: Tero Saarinen Company from Finland dances in New York 24.12.2006. The New York Times.Simonari, Rosella Tero Saarinen Company ‘Westward Ho!’, ‘Wavelengths’, ‘Hunt’ August, 2004. Ballet Dance Magazine. By the end of 2013 Saarinen will have performed this piece 174 times in 82 cities and 32 countries, in Asia, Africa, South and North America, and Europe,Event Calendar, Tero Saarinen Company and it has been dubbed one of the most significant choreographies made for Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.Tero Saarisen Hunt-koreografia kovassa seurassa Arte-kanavalla. 18.12.2005. Helsingin Sanomat. Tero Saarinen ceased performing the piece in 2013, after the centennial of The Rite.Tero Saarinen lopettamassa Hunt-soolonsa esittämisen. 29.4.2013. Helsingin Sanomat. Borrowed Light, performed at dozens of leading venues in Europe, Oceania and North America since its creation in 2004, has also attracted critical acclaim in the international media.Borrowed Light Press Quotes Tero Saarinen Company. For instance, The Village Voice in the USA listed it as one of The Decade's Best Dance Performances.Jowitt, Deborah: The Decade's Best Dance 22 December 2009. The Village Voice.
Original work Premiere Performing group Artistic team Production Westward Ho! 1996-02-18, Dansens Hus, Stockholm, Sweden Tero Saarinen Company Also in repertoires: Introdans (2000, Department of Dance, Theatre Academy (2000), Nünberg Ballet(2002) Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Costume design: Tero Saarinen Music: Collage Tero Saarinen Company Overdosed Mood 1997-06-30 Kuopio Dance Festival, Kuopio, Finland Tero Saarinen Company Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Costume Design: Keren Nissim Music: Collage Tero Saarinen Company Un/Do 1998-05-14, Susan Dellal Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel Batsheva Dance Company Also in repertoires: Tero Saarinen Company (1998), Ballet Gulbenkian (1999) Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Costume design: Tero Saarinen Music: Collage Batsheva Dance Company Could you take some of my weight..? 1999-05-28 Théâtre de Saint-Quentin-en Yvelines, Paris, France Tero Saarinen Company. Also in repertoire: Ballet de Lorraine (2004), NorrDans (2008) Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Costume design: Rachel Quarmby Music: Collage Tero Saarinen Company Kaze 2001-06-22 The Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy Tero Saarinen Company and Yas-Kaz Unit Music: Yas-Kaz Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Sound design: Jukka Cavén Costume design: Rachel Quarmby Tero Saarinen Company in co-production with the Venice Biennale Petrushka 2001-06-03 Queen Elisabeth Hall, London, Great Britain Tero Saarinen Company Music: Igor Stravinsky, Petrushka Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Costume Design: Erika Turunen Arrangement and performance of music James Crabb and Geir Draugsvoll Sound design: Jukka Kavén Tero Saarinen Company Hunt 2002-06-02 The Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy Tero Saarinen Company Music: Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring Multimedia: Marita Liulia Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Costume design: Erika Turunen Multimedia programming: Jakke Kastelli Tero Saarinen Company and La Biennale di Venezia in co-operation with Octobre en Normandie Borrowed Light 2004-10-08 Octobre en Normandie Festival, Le Havre, France Tero Saarinen Company and The Boston Camerata Arrangement of the original Shaker music: Joel Cohen Leading of music: Anne Azéma Lighting and set design: Mikki Kunttu Costume design: Erika Turunen Sound design: Heikki Iso-Ahola Tero Saarinen Company in co-operation with: Octobre en Normandie (France), Dansens Hus (Sweden), Kuopio Dance Festival (Finland), Festival Civitanova Danza (Italy), le Volcan – Scène Nationale du Havre (France), Teatri di Civitanova (Italy), Atelier 231 – Pôle régionale des Arts de la rue (France) Next of Kin 2008-05-09 Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, Vilnius, Lithuania Tero Saarinen Company Music: Jarmo Saari Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Costume design: Erika Turunen Sound design: Heikki Iso-Ahola Tero Saarine Company. Co-producers: Biennale de Lyon (France), the Joyce Theater (US), Alexander Theatre (Finland), Southbank Centre (UK), Helsinki Festival and Lithuanian Dance Information Center in co-operation with Vilnius European Capital of Culture 2009- Organization (Lithuania) Vox Balaneae 2011-11-05 Automne en Normandie, Le Rive Gauche, Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, France Tero Saarinen Company and Ensemble InterContemporain or Avanti! Music: George Crumb: Vox Balaenae Lighting and set design: Mikki Kunttu Costume design: Erika Turunen Sound design:Marco Melchior Tero Saarinen Company in co-operation with Arts 276/Automne en Normandie (France) and Red Brick Project/CNN Roubaix Nord – Pas de Calaisin – Carolyn Carlson (France) Absent Presence 2011-11-23, Alexander Theatre, Helsinki, Finland Tero Saarinen Company Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Costume design: Erika Turunen Music: Jarmo Saari – Jarmo Saari solu Tero Saarinen Company in co-operation with Alexander Theatre MESH 2014–2–2, Saitama Arts Theater, Tokyo, Japan Saitama Dance Association in co-operation with Saitama Arts Theater Lighting design: Iwashina Takeaki Costume design: Izumi Miyamura Music: collage Saitama Dance Association, Tero Saarinen Company Morphed 2014-08-16, Finnish National Opera, Helsinki Week, Helsinki, Finland Tero Saarinen Company Lighting design: Mikki Kunttu Costume design: Teemu Muurimäki