The Youth Company of the Finnish National Ballet

The junior arm of Finland’s premier ballet company return to the Linbury Theatre, presenting works by Julian Nicosia, Marco Goeke and Reija Wäre.

Established in 2013, the Youth Company of the Finnish National Ballet comprises 14 young dancers. Approximately one third of the international group are Finnish, while the rest come from the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, the United States, France, and South Korea. In addition to their own performances, the dancers of the Youth Company also participate in productions with the Finnish National Ballet, Finland’s only full-sized professional ballet company. The Youth Company is funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. 

Their programme for this Season’s Next Generation Festival opens with Julian Nicosia’s Fragments of Time. Set to an eclectic score ranging from music by J.S. Bach to electronic producer Kelly Lee Owens, this work explores memory and moments that have yet to become memories.  

Marco Goeke’s Blushing follows. In this work, Goeke sought to explore what happens inside us when we go red. Dancers breathe, tap, stamp and slide to a sound collage of punk rock, street music and silence. 

The programme closes with Reija Wäre’’s Clique. Created for the Youth Company of the Finnish National Ballet in 2022, this work fuses elegant, near-weightless expression with heavier and more rhythmic movements.