DANCE SCHOOLS ON STAGE 2024 – APPLY TO PERFORM 

Kuopio Dance Festival and Finnish Dance Schools Association STOPP ry invite dance schools to apply to perform at the 55th Kuopio Dance Festival. 

Kuopio Dance Festival is the largest and most versatile annual contemporary dance event in Nordic countries. It is located in Kuopio city in the middle of Finland. The next Kuopio Dance Festival is organized 12th to 18th June 2024. 

Dance Schools on Stage has been part of Kuopio Dance Festival since 2011. This is a great chance for dance students to be part of an international dance festival program and for the audience to see the versatility of dance education and enjoy wonderful performances. 

Purpose of this event is to present dance education in a way that is not a competition. We welcome participants of different ages and different dance styles from all over Finland and from abroad. Dance Schools on Stage is an excellent opportunity for students and teachers to network internationally. 

WHO CAN APPLY?

You can apply under the following conditions:

Group

Performers should be aged 7 years and up
No professional dancers
Group size min. 2 dancers

Performance

Free choice dance style
Duration max. 6 minutes
Flexible technical solutions (2-3 basic light situations)
The performance place is Kuopio City Theater (Maria -stage). Stage details are width 8,5-m – depth 8,8-m. Entrance to the stage is possible from both sides, but the main access is from the left side (facing from the audience).

HOW TO APPLY? 

Application period:  International dance schools 16th Oct to 30th Nov 2023 
Selection: 29th Dec 2023   
Apply via online form  IN HERE 

 SELECTION 

Groups to be chosen will be informed by 29th December 2023. 
The performing groups are selected by the festival’s artistic director Riku Lehtopolku and the representative of the Finnish Association of Dance Schools STOPP ry. 
  

In the selection, attention is paid to various things, including: 

• The technical skills of the performers 
• Choreography 
• Expression 
• The skill of dancing in a group 
• Musicality 
• Courage 
• Suitability of the presentation’s difficulty level for the group 

 
Selected groups 

• The selected groups must confirm their participation by 31st January 2024. 
• Kuopio Dance Festival give a travel grant (€700) to each international performing group. 
• Kuopio Dance festival will take care of marketing, media and general arrangements 
  Other expenses and arrangements will be covered by the schools / performing groups. We recommend to apply funding for your costs from your country. 
    

Other terms and conditions 

• On the day of the performance, time will be set aside for each group to rehearse and go through the performance together. We will announce the rehearsal time and date before the festival. 
• Group members will also receive a festival pass, which entitles to discounted tickets for the festival’s paid performances and courses. 
• The selected groups and their sponsors commit to promote the performances on their social media channels. Postings will include #kuopiodancefestival #kuopiotanssiijasoi. 
  By filling in the application form, all members of the group give permission to film and photograph the performances and use the images on the festival’s channels. 

Feedback 
Every performing group will receive feedback right after their performance. 

  
See you at Kuopio Dance Festival! 

FURTHER INFORMATION 
Tuula Korkalainen, production assistant 
info@kuopiodancefestival.fi