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Festival of Augmented Dance

The first Festival of Augmented Dance will take place in Oulu during November 2026. We will showcase a programme of dance performances from around the globe, including some world exclusives. Each performance highlights the relationship between dance and technology, but also uses the format to delve deeper into the human condition.

The main festival stage will be Valvesali with additional content taking over the foyer and front window.

Wednesday 25th November:
Three new works developed from ideas generated during the EU Dance Hack project:
Dorottya Podmaniczky (Hungary): Deep Outside
Yurika S. Yamamoto (Germany): Porous
Noora Juppi (Finland): A Song Of Gravity
(Pipo Interfaces showcase)

tickets


Thursday 26th November:
Anna Borràs (Spain/Sweden): Boreali

tickets


Friday 27th November:
Rebecca Green (Estonia): (re)
Ongoing Realities (Sweden): [e s c]

tickets


Saturday 28th November:
Chimerik 似不像(Canada/Taiwan): SI(x)

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A Song of Gravity is a multidisciplinary performance that combines classical music, pole dance and interactive technology into a unified artistic experience. It is a poetic exploration of gravity – both as a physical phenomenon and as a metaphor for humanity, boundaries, and freedom.

In Porous, five dancers, interactive sensors, and striking visuals come together in a poetic exploration of bodies, nature and technology. As movement is translated into sound and vision, the performers create a living landscape where organic motion and digital response intertwine, blurring the line between organism and machine. Rooted in Yurika’s sensory-based practice, the work invites audiences to reflect on how our bodies adapt and evolve within an increasingly hybrid natural-digital world.

Deep Outside is a solo performance exploring the physical and psychological effects of space travel on the human body. Blending contemporary dance and aerial acrobatics, it translates the often invisible impacts of extreme environments into a vivid movement language shaped by inner transformation. Visuals, sound and physicality interact as a living score, continuously influencing one another to create a dynamic, immersive experience.

Boreali immerses audiences in the Northern Lights through dance, music, projections, and light, offering a fully multi-sensory experience. The stage transforms into a living art installation, inviting visitors to explore, move, and engage with colors, sound, temperature, and even scent. This magical journey culminates in a live dance performance, surrounded by 360° projections that bring the Arctic Circle to life.

(re) is a body-based performance exploring privacy, technology, and the delicate contract between performer and audience. A performer connects to a live-stream and anonymous chat, while the audience participates in real time, influencing tasks she performs in exchange for “tokens.” The work examines voyeurism, agency, and anonymity, raising questions about when the performer becomes an object, when she reveals her humanity, and how technology shapes our connection to the human.

[ e s c ] is a multidisciplinary work combining dance, exhibition and film to explore escapism as a concept and state of mind. Drawing on diverse movement languages and technologies – from historical to modern algorithms – the work reflects on how our need to pause and imagine is shaped by both past and present influences. The stage becomes an enigmatic space where dystopian and utopian ideas of escapism converge, bridging past, present and future.

SI(x) offers an intimate exploration of the volatility and sanctity of schitzophrenia, transforming lived experiences of psychosis into a visceral, embodied meditation on perception, care, and resilience. Set within a hexagonal field of sand, candlelight, and interactive projections, every element – grain, flame, light, and sound – becomes part of the choreography, responding in real time to the performers and audience. The piece creates a responsive, otherworldly environment that invites contemplation of the quiet strength and complexity within madness.

We are also planning to take over another space in central Oulu to create a festival lounge – a space for exhibitions, workshops and small-scale events, including video works by Ongoing Realities, Olga Uzikaeva and Silja Tuovinen, and featuring an exhibition of drawings and performance by Marta Kosieradzka.



The festival is supported by Oulu2026, City of Oulu, Taike, Troikatronix and Pipo Interfaces and is a low-carbon event.

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