Finnish-Estonian Dance Festival Tanssipidot 2012 Tampere

The international folk dance and music festival Tanssipidot 2012 will be arranged in Tampere on 13–17 June 2012. It will be one of the most important major cultural events in Finland in 2012. Around 5,000 dancers, musicians and singers from Finland, Estonia and other European countries are expected to attend the festival. It is a part of cultural cooperation and folklore exchange between Finland and Estonia. The Presidents of Finland and Estonia are invited to be the patrons of the festival.

Velisinfonia Kalevi–Kalev– Dance Performance About Two Nations

Tanssipidot offers beauty, new experiences, concerts and courses. The week-long festival climaxes in a feast of dance and song at Tampere Ratina Stadium on 17 June 2012. The main performance of the event is a dance piece called Velisinfonia”(symphony of brotherhood) which reflects the friendship and similarities between the two sister nations. It tells the story of two young men. Kalevi from Finland and Kalev from Estonia are contemporary everyday heroes – humane and vulnerable.
In charge of the concept, choreographies and direction of Velisinfonia are artistic directors Petri Kauppinen from Finland and Kalev Järvelä from Estonia. In addition to them, there are other choreographers, musicians and dancers from both Finland and Estonia participating in the project. The music is arranged and composed by Jari Komulainen and Jaan Sommer. The staging and visual designing of the performance is done by Minna Kauhanen.

The Event Organizers

Tanssipidot 2012 festival is organized by Folklore Suomi Finland and Estonian Folk Dance and Folk Music Association. Cooperating parties include Estonian Song and Dance Celebration Foundation, CIOFF Estonia as well as Finnish Youth Association and all the main folklore organizations in Finland. Practical matters are handled by the events office of Pispala Schottische Folk Dance Festival in Tampere, which also brings other international and domestic performers to the festival.

Websites in Finnish:  www.tanssipidot.fi and www.sottiisi.net