Kenneth Kvarnström is Kuopio Dance Festival’s new artistic director

Kenneth Kvarnström is an internationally renowned choreographer and has worked in various roles in the field of dance since the late 1980’s. Kvarnström has been the director of Dansens Hus Stockholm and artistic director for Helsinki Dance Company, for instance and his own company, K. Kvarnström & Co has toured around the world. In 2008, Kvarnström was appointed Professor of the Arts by the Arts Council of Finland.

Kvarnström currently lives in Sweden, but plans to be strongly present in Kuopio. His desire is to bring new kinds of performances to Kuopio: 

“I want to introduce performances, groups, choreographers and artists that have never been seen in Finland before. Such artists, whose works have been and are significant in the development of contemporary dance worldwide”, he says in the festival’s press release. 

“It is also important to listen to the audience and the team, what they want and hope for. I think it would be great if Kuopio was the center of dance once a year.”

Kuopio Dance Festival is the oldest international dance festival in the Nordics. Each year approximately 35 000 visitors attend the week long festival and its international and finnish performances alongside courses, camps, seminars and admission free programme. 

Salima Peippo, the festival’s executive director, says that in future the artistic director’s term will last a maximum of five years to keep the programme fresh.

Current artistic director Riku Lehtopolku’s season, that started in 2020 will continue until the 2024 festival, when Kuopio Dance Festival is organized for the 55th time. The next edition of Kuopio Dance Festival takes place on 12.-18.6.2024.