New significant prize for dance artists will be awarded at Kuopio Dance Festival

A new annual award for the dance arts has been given to Kuopio Dance Festival. Dance Young Artist Award, worth €8,000, will be presented at the Supervisual Gala on 14 June. The prize is funded by Keele Foundation, whose aims include promoting a physical attitude to life and supporting art, science and culture.

Award encourages and supports young dance artists

The aim of the prize is to support the employment of a new generation of artists, which has been negatively affected in recent years, particularly in Covid times. The position of dance artists is weak and unstable across the arts, with a fragmented job description and, in most cases, very low incomes. The aim of the prize is to encourage young dance artists to make their own art and to help them advance in their careers.

Who will receive the award?

The prize is awarded annually by a jury named by Kuopio Dance Festival to a promising dancer or choreographer up to 30 years of age who is a Finnish citizen, who has shown strong artistic talent. The prize is awarded on artistic grounds.

The prize is a platform and encouragement for a dance artist whose career is hoped for continuity, visibility and new job opportunities.

The jury is made up of dance professionals. In summer 2024, the jury will be headed by Riku Lehtopolku, the artistic director of the Festival.