TERO SAARINEN COMPANY
COMPANY HISTORY
TERO SAARINEN COMPANY began its life in 1996 with the name Company Toothpick. The name change happened in 2002. In addition to Saarinen’s choreography, the Company’s repertoire also includes solos created for Saarinen by other choreographers.

The Helsinki-based Company tours throughout the world, performing in Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. Recently, the Company performed as part of the 2004 Biennale de la Danse de Lyon.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY
TERO SAARINEN (Artistic Director) Born in 1964, Tero Saarinen was a soloist with the Finnish National Ballet from 1985 to 1992. Saarinen spent a year in Japan studying traditional Japanese dance and Butoh, elements of which are reflected in his movement style, which also integrates classical ballet and western contemporary dance.

In addition to work for his own Company, Saarinen has choreographed dances for Batsheva Dance Company, Ballet Gulbenkian, Lyon Opera Ballet, Gothenburg Opera Ballet, Ballet National de Marseille and the Finnish National Ballet, among others.

In 2001, Saarinen received the Finland Prize, the country’s most prestigious honor awarded to artists, and. And in 2004, the jury of Germany’s first International Movimentos Dance Prize selected Saarinen as “best male performer.” That same year, he was made Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France’s Ministry of Culture.