Helsinki seasons: Autumn!

Perhaps you read my earlier post of Helsinki all year round? Now it's time for the first part of my "Helsinki seasons" series:

Autumn in Helsinki!

In Helsinki you'll find all the four seasons. Autumn starts roughly at the beginning of September and turns to winter sometime during November or December. In terms of climate, autumns in Helsinki can be warm and sunny, cool and sunny, cool and rainy, very cold rainy or very cold and snowy. Hmm... Prepare for everything! It's not unusual that every day (or every ten minutes) the weather is different. Average temperatures are slightly above or below 10 C. Still in September you may experience summer-like temperatures (+20 C or above), if you're lucky. Winter officially starts when the daytime temperatures go below 0 C and by then, usually, city is covered with snow.

The end of the autumn can be quite dark. November and December are considered the darkest months; day light hours hit their lowest point at Dec 20-21st but the few weeks before that can indeed be gloomy if there is no snow - with snow, things (and moods) are a bit brighter! To fight the dark & cold, people do whatever they can to keep their minds off of it; work, hobbies, going out on dinners and drinks... The Pre-Christmas party season (pikkujoulu, literally: little Christmas) starts already at the end of October and by the end of November you'll see the city sparkling with Christmas lights.

But it's not all dark, wet and cold. For many, the autumn is a season of new beginnings: school, new hobbies, healthy lifestyles, autumn fashion... Crisp morning air brings on a certain inspiration and feeling of a fresh start. And it's the season of new colors, as shades or red, orange and yellow brush over the city!

Dance: It's good for you! -- 15 benefits of dancing

Anybody who has even a little bit of experience in dancing knows that it does wonders for your mind and body. But there's no harm in reminding you about it! 

Zouk autumn season in Helsinki - 2014

While the summer is still going strong, the autumn season is starting in the dance schools! Oh no! Oh yesss!!

Dates are subject to change and more classes & parties are sure to appear - always check with the respective organisers for their latest schedule. You can also keep up-to-date with all the events via the "Zouk in Finland" calendar!

ZOUK CLASSES

Rio Zouk

Teachers: Freddy Marinho and Andressa Castelhano
Dance school: Rio Zouk Style

What: Rio zouk (= a style of Brazilian zouk style originating from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).*
When: 26 Aug - 4 Dec:

      Wed 19:45-20:45 progressive course / Fundamentals
      Tue and Thu 19:30-20:30 progressive course / Team A (beginners/improvers)
      Tue and Thu 20:30-21:30 progressive course / Team B (improvers/intermediate)

Where: Etnofitness
More info and register via Rio Zouk Style site.

Mzouk

Teacher: Ossi Kimmelma

Dance school: Spiral Dancers
What: Mzouk (= Brazilian zouk style developed in Mallorca, Spain).*
When: Starting 3 Sep:

      Wed 19:30-20:30 beginners at SalsaStudio

      Sun: 16:00-17:30 improvers at TapahtumaSali

More info on Mzouk classes in Finland in the Spiral Dancers Finnish Facebook group.

Brazilian Zouk

Teacher: Soile Vedenpää
What: Brazilian zouk and zouk-lambada for beginners and improvers.*
When: Weekend workshops 13 Sep and 22 Nov.**
More info via Soile Vedenpää on Facebook.