Dance tour takes street dancing to reception centres

The Finnish Street Dance Federation and the Finnish Immigration Service will organise a street dance tour across Finland. The Terveyttä tanssista (Health through Dance) tour will visit all asylum seekers' reception centres in the spring of 2014.

The dance tour will introduce asylum seekers to different street dance styles over the course of one day. Street dance combines art, culture and exercise, and the objective of the tour is to promote the physical and mental well-being of asylum seekers.

Street dance arose on the streets of American cities

Street dance refers to dance styles that have developed outside dance studios, usually on the streets of large cities. The beginnings of street dance can be traced to the United States, and its moves and rhythms are usually based on American hip hop and funk music.

Today, new street dance styles are being born all the time, everywhere in the world. For example, the Azonto dance created in Ghana has achieved great popularity, first in West Africa and then globally.

The most popular of the older styles of street dance include house, popping and locking. The successful Finnish Will Funk for Food dance group performs locking, which is a hip hop dance based on funk music, with a history stretching back to the 1970s.

Street dance has gained in popularity in Finland

Street dance is becoming more and more popular in Finland. The Finnish Street Dance Federation estimates that there are more than 30,000 active street dancers in Finland, of whom more than 3,000 also take part in competitions. Famous street dancers include Dance show winner Haza Hajipoori and finalists Ima Iduozee and Jeffrey Kam.

By their nature, street dances combine different styles and dance cultures, which makes the hobby easy to approach. The dance tour will be directed by top Finnish instructors with immigrant backgrounds.

Finland currently has 20 reception centres and 7 units for minor asylum seekers. As of the end of November 2013, there were approximately 3,400 registered asylum seekers out of which around 80 were unaccompanied minors.

Street Dance Union exports Finnish dancing expertise

The Finnish Street Dance Federation was established in 2007 to support the development of Finnish street dancing and street dancers. The Finnish Street Dance Federation seeks to promote Finnish street dancing abroad and to obtain international employment and performance opportunities for Finnish dancers.

Recycle Your Sneakers in December

As part of the street dance tour, the Finnish Street Dance Federation will hold the Tossut kiertoon (Recycle Your Sneakers) collection in dancing schools around Finland in December. The schools' customers can donate their old, good-condition dancing shoes to the residents of reception centres. More information on the collection is available on the Street Dance Federation´s Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/events/252344294915540/

Further information for the media

Chairman Jouni Janatuinen, The Finnish Street Dance Federation
tel. +358 400 352 333, e-mail: jj@nordicmoves.com

Senior Adviser Olli Snellman, Finnish Immigration Service's reception unit
tel. +358 71 873 0431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi

Street dancing at reception centres:

10 January Helsinki, Kallio Reception Centre

13 January Helsinki, Metsälä Reception Centre

14 January Helsinki, Metsälä Detention Unit

15 January Espoo Group and Family Group Home

16 January Helsinki, Punavuori Reception Centre

20 January Joutseno Reception Centre (Konnunsuo)

21 January Kotka Reception Centre

22 January Mänttä-Vilppula Reception Centre

23 January Punkalaidun Reception Centre

24 January Siuntio Reception Centre

27 January Lammi Reception Centre

28 January Kristiinankaupunki Reception Centre

29 January Vaasa Reception Centre

30 January Kajaani Reception Centre

31 January Turku Reception Centre

3 February Rovaniemi Reception Centre (with the Kemi Reception Centre)

4 February Pudasjärvi Reception Centre

5 February Pudasjärvi Reception Centre

6 February Oulu Reception Centre

7 February Ruukki Reception Centre