Tero Saarinen
[2][3] As a choreographer Saarinen is known for his unique[4] movement language that plays with balance and off-balance, combining influences from Butoh and martial arts to classical ballet and Western contemporary dance.
Saarinen left the Finnish National Ballet in 1992 to seek new influences in Western Europe and Japan, where he studied traditional Japanese dance and Butoh from 1992 to 1993.
[3] As a child Tero Saarinen was always involved in one hobby or another, at different times he played ice hockey or football, cross-country skied or trained in gymnastics.
[14][15] In 1988 Saarinen won first prize in the contemporary category at Concours International de Danse in Paris with Jorma Uotinen's choreography B12.
[19] Saarinen's first opportunity to make a group piece came when his former dance teacher Liisa Nojonen asked him to create a work for her company.
With success, Saarinen found it increasingly hard to settle for the male roles and opportunities as a dancer offered by classical ballet.
[13] At first Saarinen journeyed to Nepal for two months, where he travelled and studied Nepalese dance at the Kala-Mandapa Institute in Kathmandu,[24] under the instruction of Rajendra Shestra.
Saarinen studied traditional Japanese Kabuki theatre at the famous Fujima School of Tokyo, specializing in onnagata (female) roles.
Kabuki schools do not usually accept foreign students, but Saarinen got special permission from his teacher Yoko Fujima after giving him a sample display of his abilities.
[25] In addition to Kazuo Ohno and other influences from Asia, Saarinen often mentions Carolyn Carlson, Tommi Kitti, Marjo Kuusela and Jorma Uotinen as important artistic role models.
[14] Hurmaa 1,[28] created for the Tampere-based dance theatre MD Mobita Dansco in the fall of 1993, launched his still ongoing close cooperation with lighting designer Mikki Kunttu.
[29] Wanha,[30] which Saarinen created for himself and Kenneth Kvarnström, received its premiered as a licensed work for the 1994 Kuopio Dance Festival.
Saarinen also created Lifewheel[31] (1994) for PDC, as well as Lelulaatikko[32] (1995) for Tampere Hall and Sirkus Bohemia[33] (1995) for the Kuopio Dance Festival.
[9] Alongside Saarinen, the founding members were his colleagues Henrikki Heikkilä from the Finnish National Ballet, Yuval Pick from the Batsheva Dance Company in Israel, and lighting designer Mikki Kunttu.
Tero Saarinen's richly original[4] choreographic style is characterized by his distinctive movement language and multidimensional artistry - expressive dancers,[41] live music, and striking visuals.
[44] Another of his solo career highlights has been Carolyn Carlson's decision to pass on her famous full length piece Blue Lady to Saarinen.
As a choreographer he has been able to renew the movement language of dance and create a unique vocabulary and style of his own, shifting between beauty and the grotesque.
[11][48] The teaching of the technique for Saarinen's movement language[48] concentrates on awakening the senses in the feet, general alertness and focusing, as well as activating the nerve endings, and acknowledging and using the weight of the body.
The solo piece HUNT[43] (2002), a collaboration with multimedia Artist Marita Liulia, has attracted exceptional international attention.
[44] Saarinen performed the piece 174 times in 83 cities and 32 countries, in Asia, Africa, South and North America and Europe,[51] and it has been dubbed one of the most significant choreographies made for Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.
[53] Borrowed Light, performed at dozens of leading venues in Europe, Oceania and North America since its creation in 2004, has also attracted significant critical acclaim in the international media.
[52] Saarinen aspires to create total artworks:[58] in addition to the choreography and interpretation, music and visual presentation are important components in his works.
