Moving in November

Launched in the mid-1980s, this festival has continued to play an important role in stimulating the contemporary dance scene in Helsinki and the surrounding communities. In its early years the festival sought to be a platform for providing financial support for contemporary dance but today the focus is primarily on inviting outstanding artists and works and providing performance opportunities for new works. From 2005 the festival has become annual and changed its focus to one of a festival that disseminates information from Helsinki to the world. The venues include the Zodiak - Center for New Dance, known as a mecca for new dance in Finland. The festival is organized by Dance Arena, a federation of four dance organizations including the JoJo - Oulu Dance Centre founded in 2000 and The Union of Finnish Dance Artists. This federation also organizes other dance festivals in Finland (Side Step Festival, Ruutia! festival for children and youth).