Henrikki Heikkilä

Henrikki Heikkilä has had an exceptionally long and remarkable career as a dance artist. He has danced in numerous pieces by the most outstanding choreographers of our time, for example Rudolf Nureyev, John Neumeier, Jiří Kylián, Paul Taylor, Ohad Naharin, Kenneth Kvarnström and Jorma Uotinen.

Heikkilä completed his training at the Finnish National Opera Ballet School in 1983 and was immediately hired by Ballet Royal de Wallone in Belgium. He went on to tour the world and dance with several renowned ballet and contemporary dance companies, such as Calgary City Ballet (Canada), Bat-Dor Dance Company (Israel), Ballet de France and the Irish National Ballet. He returned to the Finnish National Ballet in 1990.

His collaboration with Tero Saarinen started in 1993 with Vajonneet, which was choreographed by Saarinen for the Finnish National Ballet. Heikkilä is one of the founding members of Tero Saarinen Company and has danced in several of Saarinen’s works. Today, he is the Company’s Rehearsal Director, and has worked as Choreographer’s Assistant in many of Saarinen’s productions. In 2014, he received the Finnish dramatic art medal of honour from the Central Organization of Finnish Theatre Associations for his 30-year career