Finnish Dance Camp 2005 information

[Jaana Heino]

Information of the Finnish Dance Camp for Adults is now available here, but in Finnish. I translate:

 

Dance Camp For Adults and Teens in Sammatti, 29st July to 6th August, 2005

 

The popular dance camp for adults and teens will be organized for the sixth time. The location is again the beautiful Sammatti, 75 km west from Helsinki. Housing and meals are offered at the Lönnrot school, and classes are held at the Sammatti youth society building. The camp starts with a welcoming and introducions on Friday evening 29th July, and classes start Saturday morning.

 

As teachers we have the French professor of dance Eric Viudes (classical ballet and repertoire) and a student of dance pedagogy from Oulu, Sirpa Laakso (character dance and stretching).

 

Course fee 350 EUR includes 5-6 hours of tuition per day (one afternoon free), accomodation in two-person rooms in apartments (which also include a small kitchen and refridgerator), and three meals a day (breakfast, light lunch, and dinner). The camp will have an end performance a the Sammatti youth society building, in which (in addition to participants) also dancers from the pre-professional classes of Helsingin tanssiopisto and from the National Ballet will perform.

 

The course is aimed for students who have studied classical ballet at least 4 years (levels intermediate 2 and up). If there is enough demand, another group for those who have studid at least 2 years (intermediate 1 and up) can be arranged.

 

...

 

Registration before 23rd May. We can take 20 students, and places will be given in order of registration.

 

For more information, please contact Anita Remitz, phone +358-50-336 2208.

 

I suppose you could also email to the office, at hto@helsingintanssiopisto.fi, which place you should also email to register, if you don't understand enough Finnish to fill the net registration form.

 

The "youth society building" sounds grand, but is in fact an old wooden house, and there are no mirrors (barres and suitable floor cover is brought in, though). The food at the site is good.

 

I assume the French teacher will teach in English (most Finns would not understand enough French and I don't think he speaks enough Finnish). I have no idea what he is like, he is new to the school, but he's got the credentials.

 

I am not going this year, but I think Päivi (psavola of this board) is, and we've both been before, so feel free to ask questions.

[elie]

Hi Jaana!

I found this information very interesting- even though I live very far from Finland I would really like to participate in something like that.. (actually I 've lived in Scandinavia for a long time I would really love to go back north again). I am getting a bit off subject, so I will just ask you something I didn't really understand: Is it possible for foreign students to apply?

And do you think it would it be ok for someone at a sort of elementary level?

 

I am sorry if my questions are a bit dumb and thank you in advance!

[Jaana Heino]

There is no restriction for the nationality of students, as far as I know (and I would be very surprised if there was.)

 

If it would be ok for an "elementary" level, that depends on what is your elementary. I have no idea what is usually meant by it... but here's some guidelines:

 

I would not consider it without the number of years of training mentioned, with at least one or two of those years taking several times a week - they usually mean it when they state requirements like that, in this school. But other than that, most participants are people who began as adults or in their late teens, not former professionals or pre-pros or anything like that (though there are some people studying for dance teachers or whatnot thrown in, who are pretty amazing).

 

For the upper level (int2-3), practically all ladies are on pointe, and the performance for them has been on pointe in previous years, though I suppose if they say they can also organize that lower level they can't require it (and it does not say anywhere that they do). When I went, there was a separate int1 level, and we had only just started pointe and performed in soft shoes.

[psavola]

Update to Jaana's information:

 

I heard the technique classes will be divided into 2 separate groups this year, as the enrollment numbers have exceeded expectations (28 people last week). I'm not sure, but I think the current plan is for both the technique classes to be taught at the same level (with the level as stated in the announcement) and then share the repertory class.

 

The classical repertory piece will be from La Sylphide (second act). I don't yet know about the character piece.

 

Päivi