F inland is mainly a country of literature, theatre and music, where the corporal aspect in general has made people feel uneasy. The culture, which cannot speak of the body, expresses otherwise reflected physical attitudes and aspects through dance. In Finnish culture, dance gains its significance in relation to the prevailing Lutheran concept of humanity and a way of life moulded by the austere conditions of the North. M any of the Finnish choreographers are more concerned with the physical expressiveness than with the quality of movement. The late rise of a dance culture has further heightened this view of the body as the sole signifier in dance.
L ike all other art forms in Finland, the survival of dance depends on state support.
With that one percent, Finnish dance has survived and gained momentum. I n 1983 a national council for dance was established alongside the eight already existing national arts councils. T he distribution of government support to dance is divided between the Council for Dance, which decides on artist grants and support to individual productions, the Arts Council of Finland, which decides on project support, and the Ministry of Education, which allocates the state support to dance theaters. S tate support to both drama and dance theaters is stipulated by law. Zodiak - Center for New Dance, listed for state support in 1997, is the latest entry among the seven groups receiving support.