The extraordinary journey of a beloved dancer, choreographer and artistic director who has won accolades the world over.
Author: Hannele Jyrkkä
Finnish original: Etsijä – Tero Saarisen tie nykytanssin ikoniksi
Publisher: Siltala, 2020
Genre: nonfiction
Number of pages: 280 pp.
Reading material: Finnish original, French sample, English synopsis
Tero Saarinen, Finland’s best-known dancer-choreographer on the international scene, didn’t start dancing until he was 16. Over the next years, he forged a spectacular path for himself at the Finnish National Ballet, studied with the Butoh legend Kazuo Ohno in Japan, and became a captivating soloist for the France-based choreographer Carolyn Carlson in Paris.
The globally renowned Tero Saarinen Company has performed in over 40 countries, at prestigious venues like the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Royal Festival Hall, Joyce Theater and Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ensembke InterContemporain and the Nederlands Dans Theater are among the many partners to have collaborated with them. All of these productions have been praised for their distinctive movement and choreographic vision, striking visual design and devoted attention to music.
Dance journalist Hannele Jyrkkä spent a year following Saarinen in rehearsal halls and at home, as he brought his new choreography Third Practice to life. The Hunter is the result of this effort: the first book that tells the story of a sports enthusiast who grew up in exceptional circumstances and catapulted to international fame and iconic status in the world of contemporary dance.
“Dance was a pathway to something I couldn’t name or explain. It just felt right: liberating and fulfilling. Never before had anything made me feel so complete.”
– Tero Saarinen
About the author:
Hannele Jyrkkä