Helsinki Dance Company (HDC) is a dance company within the frame of Helsinki City Theatre

Helsinki City Theatre was founded in 1965 and the same year the theatre started a training program for 25 dancers, who mainly participated in musicals. In 1969 they founded the Association of Helsinki City Theatre Dancers.

1973 can be seen as the foundation year of the Dance Company, as it marked the appointment of Seija Simonen as dancemaster and six dancers on a one year contract. Maj-Lis Rajala was appointed as dancemaster in 1977 and Liisa Priha worked as choreographer from 1975 to 1981.

The leadership of Jorma Uotinen from 1982 (-1990) was a period of increasing independence. In 1987 the City Theatre was divided into three artistic units: Large stage, Small stage and the Dance Company. The Dance Company has ever since been an independent unit.

Uotinen created sixteen choreographies for the company. The most popular were Endless Enigma (Loputon Arvoitus 1982), Kalevala (1985), B12 (1988) and Ballet Pathétique (1989). The Dance Company began to gain international fame and toured in several European cities.

Carolyn Carlsson was the director in 1991-92 making two choreographies: Who took August? (Kuka vei elokuun?) and September (Syyskuu). Performing her choreographies abroad established international touring as an important activity. The company received the Finnish State Award of Dance in 1992.

Marjo Kuusela followed in 1992 (-1996). In addition to her own work e.g Runar ja Kyllikki (1992) and Girl and the dancing bear (1993), she invited other choreographers such as Daniel Ezralow, Tommi Kitti, Ari Tenhula, Anzu Furukawa and Kenneth Kvarnström, whose work liquid (neste, 1993) was invited to tour abroad.

In 1996 (-1997) Kenneth Kvarnström became the artistic director. His first work no-no (1996) sold to full houses in the company’s own stage, Studio Elsa. Both no-no and 108 dB (1997) toured in Finland and abroad. During this time the dancers were not dancing in musicals anymore.

Cristina Caprioli, Kirsi Monni and Anzu Furukawa were the Dance Company’s guest choreographers in 1998. In 1999 the guest choreographers were Örjan Andersson and Tero Saarinen.

Ari Tenhula became the artitic director in 2000 (-2002). Kirsi Monni’s Other Voices (Toisia ääniä, 2001) and Tenhula’s Shine (Paiste, 2000) and Exposure Time (Valotusaika, 2002), Arja Raatikainen’s The Tunnel (Tunneli, 2001) and Nigel Charnock’s The Big Because (Se suuri syy, 2000) and The Intelligence of the Heart (Sydämen äly, 2002) made use of the dancer’s acting and singing skills. The Northern Dimension in spring 2003 was a double bill by Jo Strömgren and Arja Tiili.

Nigel Charnock’s first work as artistic director in 2003 (-2005) was Paradise followed by Baby (2004). Both consisted of highly physical theatre spiced with black humour and dealing with love, sex, death and hidden fantasies. 777 – A Love Story (2004) was followed by a double bill of First Sex & The White Room (2005) and Life (2005).

In 2003 the company name was changed to Helsinki Dance Company (HDC)

Ville Sormunen became the company director in 2006 (-2010) and invited Jenni Kivelä: If Not Too Happy (Liian onnelliset ihmiset, 2006) and Andonis Foniadakis: Apospasmata (Fragments, 2006). Bliss Bubble (Riemukupla, 2007) brought together Finnish choreographers: Harri Kuorelahti, Teemu Kyytinen, Eeva Muilu, Mammu Rankanen and Inka Tiitinen. HDC2 (2007) was a double bill: Something Spooked the Horses by Ina Christel Johannessen and Daydream Junkies by Simo Kellokumpu. In spring 2008 Kenneth Kvarnström restaged no-no for 10 dancers. Ikuyo Kuroda made Echo, Arrow and Chain (Kaiku, nuoli ja ketju, 2008), Anton Lachky: Soft and Hard (2008), Harri Kuorelahti: Hardcore Humppa (2009) and Linda Kapetanea and Jozef Frucek: Drawing Tiger Like A Dog (2009) and Kenneth Kvarnström XPSD (2010). From autumn 2008 HDC has had 6 dancers working in the danceproductions, the remaining dancers worked in musicals and drama plays.

From autumn 2010 (-2013) Kenneth Kvarnström will start working as a house choreographer with HDC and stage some of the works as co-productions with K. Kvarnström & Co.