Our philosophy of movement

Kaaos Company develops movement language and practice methods that give space to each body’s uniqueness. The movement doesn’t seek the traditional aesthetic of dance or the conventional idea of beauty. The dancers’ different physical properties and abilities are a resource, and a foundation to a new kind of movement language and creativity.

Background and foundation of Kaaos Company

The background association behind Kaaos Company is Inklusiivisen tanssin tuki ry and it’s predecessor DanceAbility Finland ry. The name change happened in 2024.

DanceAbility Finland was founded by DanceAbility -teachers Gunilla Sjövall and Sally Davison, artist and disability activist Tuuli Helle, student and active dance hobbyist Maija Karhunen, drama instructor Outi Ivaska and a small group of activists and friends of dance. In 2010, the dance piece Kaleidoscope got it’s premiere in Kanneltalo in Helsinki. In writing the introduction texts for the piece the people realized the performing group should have a more artistic name instead of DanceAbility Finland. And so Kaaos Company was born. The evolution of Kaaos into a professional dance group was greatly influenced by it’s first artistic director Sally Davison (2010-23).

What we do at Kaaos Company

Over the years the scope of our activity has expanded. Nowadays the activity of Kaaos is divided into two sections:

Artistic activity. Kaaos Company produces professional inclusive dance performances, the goal of which is to dissolve the differences between disabled and non-disabled people, and to break stereotypical ideas regarding these topics. Diversity enriches the artistic work of Kaaos Company.

Pedagogical activity. Kaaos Company also offers weekly movement improvisation classes to both children and adults. We also do visits to schools and various communities, for example. We also offer tailored dance workshops.

The people of Kaaos

Click the photo and find out more about us

An adult woman in a wheelchair wearing a colorful dress and jean jacket is pictured smiling when hanging out in a living area.
A photo of a woman with long brown hair, a green jacket, and black pants posing for a photo while lying next to a bush with red flowers.
A photo of a women in a blue jacket with long, blond hair on her knees with her arms stretched out while dancing.
A headshot photo of a person with pink hair, green earrings, a black, sparkly blouse and a diamond necklace.
A headshot photo of a smiling woman wearing a turquoise jacket over an orange shirt.
A headshot of a woman in a green blouse with glasses and short brown hair smiling.
Adult woman isstanding outside in a wooded area holding a blue umbrella and wearing a yellow rain jacket, pink pants and blue shoes.
An adult woman with short blonde hair and red lipstick smiling in a selfie.
A man wearing a black and orange outfit is performing a dance. He is sitting on his legs, looking upward, with one hand extended in the air and the other hand propped up on the ground.

info@kaaoscompany.fi

Contact information

Become a member

Kaaos Company Logo in Black Font.

Kadar Khristan

To me dancing feels like I can go over the boundaries of limitation. Before I started to dance I always felt my boundaries and the state of my body, which often felt limited. When I began to dance I realized the limitations existed only in my mind.

The most important thing that dance has given me is the confidence to express myself and to be who I am. When I dance, I create new relations to myself, to others and to the space. Because dance has been so transformative for me, I want to encourage others to find the movements of body, mind and emotions, which connect us in our humanity.

I enjoy working in a group and want to develop in myself abilities and skills, which haven’t yet reached their full potential. I am curious by nature and I get along with different kinds of people in international and multicultural settings. I began dancing with Kaaos Company in 2019 after having participated in the Sunday movement improvisation classes. I have also featured in Nella Turk’s piece in 2021 and in Marc Brew’s choreography, which was realised as a collaboration between CODA Festival and the Oslo Opera House in 2022.

Member of the board – 2021 – 2023
Performer in Kaaos Company pieces: Katras, Principia, Torotörö, Lilac Loop

Silva Laukkanen

I am Silva Laukkanen. I love dance. I love movement. I love diversity. I love the beautiful moments that are created in space by bodies telling stories. I want to expand the notion of who can dance and where dance should happen and I have a deep passion for community art and providing access to dance.

Chair of the board – 2021 –
Dance teacher, DanceAbility -method – 2003 –
Director of Integrated Dance at Art Spark Texas, Austin TX 2019 –
Co-founder of Tractus Art with Christelle Dreyer
Co-author with Emmaly Wiederholt – Breadth of Bodies; Discussing Disability in Dance
Podcast Host; DanceCast

Siiri Tiilikka

I am Siiri Tiilikka. I have graduated as a dancer from the Keskuspuisto vocational school (now known as The Vocational College Live). I have also practiced Flamenco for many years, and I am part of the music school Resonaari’s Class Beat band. I also do rhythmic gymnastics and play tennis, and in my free time I also sing karaoke. I can also create choreographies and I am a really talented dancer.

Performer in Kaaos Company pieces: Know Body, Patella – floating bone, Mirage, Katras

Sirpa Miettinen

Sirpa Miettinen acts as the association’s executive director. Sirpa has previously worked at a dance festival as a producer and executive director.

Sirpa has previously worked as a producer and executive director of a dance festival.

Noora Västinen

As a dancer and dance teacher Noora values listening sensitively to one’s own body, breath and their relationship to movement. Acceptance and kindness towards oneself, and play and joy shared together are central in Noora’s teaching.

In all her work Noora aims to advance equality and accesible possibilities to participate in society, art and culture – both as a creator and as an experiencer.

Member of the board – 2021 –
Dance teacher, DanceAbility -method – 2017 –
Expert and educator of inclusive and applied art
Dancer in Kaaos Company pieces – Pond, Patella, Alkemik Konnektions, Mirage, Principia

Sami Kekäläinen

Sami is a musician, dance enthusiast and multi-area freelancer based in Helsinki. His skills in music include singing, production and live performance. He makes rap music under the name MC Zen, and has a long-standing experience as a street musician.

A person motivated by curiosity and new experiences, he ventured to explore the world of inclusive dance in 2019. On this path he happily remained and found a cozy place of belonging in Kaaos Company. In addition to being an active participant in classes, he has created music for Kaaos Company performances and does various tasks such as translation work.

Member of the board – 2024 –

Music maker for performances – Mirage, Bird’s Song (Siiri Tiilikka’s solo performance)

Jonna Lehto

Jonna is a performance and dance artist who works with humor, communality and equality. She has been involved in Kaaos Company’s activity since 2014 in many different roles, such as as a performer, as a director and as a producer in performance and workshop projects. Currently Jonna is in the association board and teaches inclusive movement improvisation classes to both children and adults. Jonna enjoys making explorations in body language and imagination as she studies elements of curiosity and surprise.

Member of the board – 2015 – 2019, 2021 –
Teacher – 2015 –
Performer in Kaaos Company pieces: INfloresense, Chinese Whispers, Know Body, Pond, Patella – floating bone, Katras

Georgie Goater

Georgie Goaer (NZ/FI) is a Helsinki-based dance artist from Aotearoa, New Zealand. As a performer, choreographer and facilitator she is excited to collaborate in communities of different embodied perceptions. When each person is an expert in their own unique corporeality, dance and performace weave relative, balanced and inclusive practices for creating and experiencing art together. Senses, memory, imagination and play that is based on tasks are elements in Georgie’s artistic explorations.

She was proudly part of Aotearoa’s Touch Compass as a whānaua dancer and teacher in 2012 – 2016.

Kaaos Company artist – 2017 –
Dance teacher – 2020 –
Board member – 2021 – 2023

Gunilla Sjövall

In my youth I dreamt of myself as a dancer. However, it took almost 50 years before I dared to begin fulfilling this dream (one cannot dance with a wheelchair… right?). The barriers broke when in the summer of 2004 out of a lack of things to do I participated to Alito Alessi’s DanceAbility -course at the Täydenkuun tanssit -contemporary dance festival. This transformative experience was continued next summer, and in 2006 I traveled to Wien to complete the DanceAbility -teacher training in Alito’s guidance.

I would not be myself if I didn’t want to share the opportunities I have received with others. The result of this was the founding of DanceAbility Finland ry in 2008 and Kaaos Company in 2010. I have been the chair of the board in DAF for nine years and after that have remained active although in a less central role. I have danced in Kaaos ever since it’s beginning, the latest performance having been in the farewell(?) piece Swan Song (2022) with Sally Davison.

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