Prime Minister Sipilä attends Finland 100 celebrations in Denmark

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä hosted the jubilee performance of the Finnish National Ballet at the Royal Danish Theatre as the head of the Finland 100 delegation. The four performances by the Finnish National Ballet in Copenhagen is one of the international highlights of Finland 100 centenary year.

The premier of Snow Queen performed by the Finnish National Ballet was honoured by the presence of the Queen of Denmark Margrethe and her spouse Prince Henrik, as well as other dignitaries and friends of Finland. 

- As Finland is celebrating its 100 years of independence, we want to mark this memorable event together with our friends. “Together” is also the theme of the entire year. The visit by the Finnish National Ballet here in Copenhagen highlights the close Nordic contacts between Finland and Denmark. It also reflects the anniversary year’s theme “Together” in the best possible way, said Prime Minister Sipilä in Copenhagen. 

The ballet Snow Queen is one of the most successful ballets ever seen in Finland. It is based on a story by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, and the Danish choreographer Kenneth Greve, now the Artistic Director of the Finnish National Ballet, is a former Royal Danish Ballet principal dancer. The music is composed by Tuomas Kantelinen.

During the working visit Prime Minister Sipilä spoke on the phone with the Prime Minister of Denmark Lars Løkke Rasmussen. They discussed topical issues in Finland and Denmark, such as the economic and employment situation. They also talked about topical EU affairs, including Brexit and next week’s Informal Meeting of the EU Heads of State or Government in Malta, and about the United States.
 

Inquiries: Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office.

Further information on the visit of the Finnish National Ballet 
Johanna Järventaus, Communications Manager, tel. +358 40 731 2213, [email protected]
Jussi Iltanen, Communications Specialist, tel. +358 50 307 1105, [email protected]

Photographs for the media, please observe the terms of use:

Finnish Government 
Finnish National Ballet
Kenneth Greve: Snow Queen, dancer Hanako Matsune, photographer Mirka Kleemola, 2016. The photographs may be freely used by the media in connection with stories on the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. The Finnish National Ballet and the photographer must always be mentioned.