“Moving with Time”—Stories of Dance Makers—will travel to Oulu on September 8, where it will be part of the international “Stretch Further—exploring identity” event. Three Nordic dance artists will be participating: Liv Aira, a Swedish Sámi artist; Julian Owusu, a Finnish-Ghanaian dance artist and educator; and Ina Christel Johannessen, a choreographer and artistic director from Norway. As usual, the event will be hosted by Virve Sutinen and Sanna Rekola.
“Moving With Time” brings together artists and the audience around a shared campfire to listen to the life stories of dance artists representing different generations and to discuss education, careers, challenges, successes, and legacy.
Ars Navitas, together with its Nordic partners, is organizing several events in 2026 and 2027. Next, the event will travel to Stockholm.
The Oulu event is organized in collaboration with Jojo – Oulu Dance Center as part of the “Stretch Further – exploring identity” event.
Moving with Time – Stories from Dance Makers was presented at the DANS STHLM festival in May 2026 by three artists whose stories left no one unmoved. In a camp-like setting built in the lobby of Dansen Huset, stories were shared, listened to, and discussed—and people cried and laughed together. Many had wondered beforehand how they would manage to sit through the three-hour event. Their worries were unfounded: Charlotta Ofverholm, Mia Habib, and Samuli Emery kept the audience captivated!
Malin Lundqvist, a producer at Dansnät Sverige, was one of those who had doubts about the event’s length, but was amazed at how quickly the time flew by.
“Moving with Time” created a rare space where choreographers can speak at length and reveal shared paths as well as specific obstacles stemming from generation or background.”
According to her, experiences like these foster recognition, empathy, and reveal unexpected connections. As a producer for the Swedish dance network, Malin faces the everyday challenges of the field on a daily basis.
“Moving with Time” offers a vital breather in the rapidly changing world of dance, which all too often overlooks the need for reflection,” she adds.
“The event also shed light on the reality that choreographers from different countries and generations can experience a deep connection through mutual dialogue,” says Amy Fee, Executive Director of Danscentrum Sverige.
“Through these stories, the audience gains insight not only into individual working methods but also into the past and present circumstances surrounding the art form of dance: the realities of working life, social contexts, artistic development, and the changing cultural conditions that shape both artists and audiences.”
Fee has been actively involved in developing Nordic cooperation in dance and appreciates that the event “allows time for reflection, nuance, and a deeper understanding of the diversity and development of contemporary dance in the Nordic countries.”
International Attention
Dance writer and researcher Anna Kozonina, in her review of the DANS STHLM festival for Springback Magazine’s online edition, also makes an exception to her usual focus and writes about the spoken-word program:”This format stands out as an interesting alternative to the typical festival events dedicated to dance history. It shifts the focus from grand names and linear progressions not just to the personal (and not to the myth of the ’exceptional personality’) but to the complex web of social ties, infrastructures and circumstances in which artists exist and dance histories are forged.”
‘Moving with Time: Stories of Dance Makers’ introduces three Nordic dance artists and their life stories and professional careers: Charlotta Ofverholm (Sweden), Mia Habib (Norway) and Samuli Emery (Finland). The event will be facilitated by Virve Sutinen and Sanna Rekola.
The event is part of the ‘Moving with Time’ project, in which Ars Navitas, together with Nordic partners, will organise eight storytelling events in 2026 and 2027. These events will see dance professionals of different ages and backgrounds discuss their education, careers, challenges, successes and legacy.
This event is organised in collaboration with the STHLM DANS festival.
The first event of the “Moving Through Time” project will feature three leading professionals in the field: Timo Sokura, Elina Pirinen, and Marika Peura will talk about their lives and careers in dance. The event will be hosted by Virve Sutinen and Sanna Rekola
“Moving Through Time – Stories of Dance Makers” is a Nordic project that brings together dance professionals of all ages to share their personal and professional stories. At the same time, the project documents and preserves the firsthand experiences of narrators, artists, producers, curators, activists, and leaders, as well as the unwritten history of the field.
