● The Snow Queen – A Heartwarming Tale of Friendship and Helping Those in Need

Finland’s biggest performing arts production of all time, The Snow Queen, premiered at Tampere’s Nokia Arena on 30th December 2022. Postponed a year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ice ballet for the whole family tells, in a warm and humorous way, about helping those in need and the healing power of friendship.

The Snow Queen is based on the Danish H.C. Andersen’s 1844 fairy tale of the same name. Andersen set his classic story in the mythical Finnish Lapland, and at the heart of the new version is Finnishness, viewed from the outside like Andersen. The ice ballet was conceptualized and scripted by Canadian Melissa A. Thompson, who has previously worked as a creative lead of the Cirque du Soleil circus. Thompson is proud to be called something of a Finnophile.

“The Snow Queen is really a tribute to the famous Finnish ‘sisu’ in every sense. Last year, we received the news about the postponement six days before the world premiere. We were deep into the final dress rehearsals up north. As you might expect, the news was a hard blow to the performers and the rest of the team. But with determination and courage, this icy phoenix rose from the ashes stronger than ever” says Thompson.

The artistic team, which in addition to Thompson includes composer Tuomas Kantelinen, director and choreographer Reija Wäre, visualist and lighting designer Mikki Kunttu, costume designer Erika Turunen, synchronized skating choreographer Anu Oksanen and makeup designer Minna Pilvinen, was determined from the beginning to produce a high-end, novel art form and reach for new audiences both in Finland and around the world. The production has gained significant inter-national partners and aroused wide interest in Europe, where it is sold by the English Angus Baskerville, who is known as the agent of top artists such as Radiohead, Duffy, Jamiroquai, and A-ha. “Visually, artistically, and content-wise, The Snow Queen is one of the most ambitious projects that I have encountered in my career. We feel the show has huge potential in terms of international touring particularly as the performance is built in an arena environment and there is currently nothing like it in the market. Finnishness is trending in the world, and the show’s themes of helping those in need, demonstrating the Nordic value base, are more topical than ever. We´ve had extremely promising discussions with the biggest arenas in Great Britain and Europe already,” Baskerville reveals.

The Snow Queen is a Tampere Hall and Kantelinen Company joint production. From 2019 until today, 498 professionals from all walks of life, from seamstresses to video producers and from skaters to ice hockey players, have been involved in making this domestic arena production come to life.

The role of the Snow Queen is skated by Laura Lepistö, Finland’s most successful solo figure skater of all time, who makes her long-awaited return to the ice with the role. The Snow Queen of the fairy tale is an icy witch who is vulnerable and lonely under her blunt shell. For Lepistö, the production’s themes of friendship and the fact that no one is left alone are important.

“Friendship is always an important theme and at the moment, reflecting the situation in the world, it is very topical. During last year’s rehearsal period, we, the performers and the working group, became a close-knit, multicultural community, and I think it’s great that through this work we can bring joy to children and adults and be part of doing something valuable together,” says Lepistö.