events, Stuff

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 in new and creative ways.

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, showcasing Pipo Interfaces:

Noora Juppi & Aino Palosaari (Finland): A Song Of Gravity (15min)
Bending the laws of physics in a mesmerising tangle of music, dance and light

TaikaBox & Yurika S. Yamamoto (Finland/Germany): Porous (20min)
A poetic and dynamic exploration of bodies, nature, and technology

Dorottya Podmaniczky (Hungary): Deep Outside (25min)
A transformative journey into the extremes of outer space and inner self

tickets

Thursday 26th November:

Anna Borràs (Spain/Sweden): Boreali (50min)
Immerse yourself in the magic and serenity of the Northern Lights (limited tickets)

This performance has been made possible with the support of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).

tickets

Friday 27th November:

Rebecca Green (Estonia): (re) (30min)
Where desire and control test the limits. An interactive performance where the performer becomes a puppet of the audience

Ongoing Realities (Sweden): [e s c] (30min)
An amalgamation of past, present and future, where utopia meets dystopia and it becomes essential to escape

tickets

Saturday 28th November:


Chimerik 似不像(Canada/Taiwan): SI(x) (65min)
An intimate and deeply personal journey into the volatility and sanctity of madness (limited tickets)

tickets

Get the full festival experience with a limited Festival Pass. This gives entry to all 4 nights (saving nearly 20%) plus an invite to the afterparty and a special festival gift.

FESTIVAL PASS
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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 will also create a festival lounge in Itu Artlab – a space for exhibitions, workshops and small-scale events, including video works by Ongoing Realities, Nikolay Shchetnev/Samovarteateret, Olga Uzikaeva, Xulu202x and Silja Tuovinen. The gallery spaces host an exhibition of drawings and performance by Marta Kosieradzka and a VR experience by Amit Palgi & Matunda. Itu will be open between 16:00 and 21:00 each day during the festival. Marta Kosieradzka’s project is supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in a frame of ”Polish Culture Abroad” programme.



The festival is supported by Oulu2026, City of Oulu, OAMK, Taike, Valve Cultural Centre, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Arts Council of Spain, Troikatronix and Pipo Interfaces.

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