STRETCH FURTHER - EXPLORING IDENTITY

As part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture year,  JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre is producing a major international dance event titled Stretch Further – Exploring Identity. The two-day event, held in Oulu on Wednesday and Thursday, 9–10 September 2026, combines the international Keđja Stretch event with the national Kiertoliike Professional Forum, organized annually by the The Finnish Network of  Regional Dance Centre. The large-scale event is connected to the annual OuDance Festival, which will take place this year from 9–13 September 2026.

Planned in collaboration with Keđja network and The Finnish Network of  Regional Dance Centre, the event explores artistic identity as lived, experienced, and conceptualized within academic discourse. Particular attention is given to the influence of environment on identity: how different working environments, as well as time and the various stages of a professional career, shape and construct an artist’s identity. As an international gathering, the event approaches these themes from diverse artistic, cultural, and national perspectives. Member organizations of the Keđja and Kiertoliike networks come from Finland, Iceland, the United Kingdom (Scotland), Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and Estonia.

The full Keđja Stretch x Kiertoliike x OuDance festival week programme includes keynote talks by experts and artists, a panel discussion, a wide range of workshops, dance performances and films, as well as evening clubs. The event will take place mainly in central Oulu, both in public spaces open to all and in venues dedicated to the performing arts. The overall production of the event is led by JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre.

This major event brings together the international professional dance community in the north, in Oulu, the European Capital of Culture for 2026. It offers professionals opportunities for community-building, networking, and deepening their professional identity and artistic vision.