OuDance Festival

Like so many dance festivals, OuDance Festival was started by local dance artists. Previously called ”Tanssia tyrkyllä” festival, it was founded thirty years ago by dance professionals from Oulu. Their goal was  to take dance out of the performance spaces to people.

The original goal of the festival, to enable dance art to meet where people spend time in their everyday lives, has been preserved. In recent years, JoJo’s audience work has enabled non-professionals to play an active role in the festival programme.

As the festival turnes exactly 30 years, it pauses to reflect on the life cycle. Different roles and expectations, relationships, parenthood and family are some of themes raised by the performances. Maria Nurmela’s and Ville Oinonen’s The Days is accompanied by a contemporary dance workshop that brings a local senior couple to the stage to dance together with the artists. In the Lithuanian guest performance M(other), mother Raimonda Gudavičiūtė and her child Elias Haun dance together. Porttiteatteri and Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin bring their own complex perspective to the stage with La Familia.

Since the future of the festival and dance lies in children and young people, Sunday’s closing day is theirs. Valvesali is conquered by young dancers from dance schools in Oulu, bringing a variety of dance genres to the stage.

Welcome to celebrate with us the 30-year-old OuDance Festival!

On behalf of the JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre’s artistic select committee, board and staff,

Helena Lindqvist
Executive Director