A Smile to Youth

Book excerpt: Eva Hemming, the Finnish Operas solo dancer and prima ballerina, grew up in Helsinki in the 1920s. In her captivating memoirs starting with the early childhood years, she describes the stages of her dance career, the hard work and the performing tours abroad, the joy of dancing, and also the competition and intrigues behind the scenes. With humor and warmth, she describes the dramatic and difficult wartimes and entertainment tours in which she herself took part in. The performances at the front lines in East Karelia and the Karelian Isthmus during the Continuation War became unforgettable experiences. During her career, she shared the stage with many internationally renowned dance artists. Eva Hemming and Leif Wagers romance forms a central part of the memoirs. The young ballerina and Finnish cinemas applauded star seemed destined to each other already after the very first meeting, but there were many hurdles to overcome before they could come together.