Kaaos Company is a Helsinki-based integrated dance company that challenges ideas of normativity and disability through the art of movement. Founded in 2010, our work is rooted in the belief that dance belongs to every body—and that performance can be a powerful tool for reshaping how society sees difference, ability, and artistic expression.
Our roots go back to DanceAbility Finland ry, established in 2008 by Gunilla Sjövall, Sally Davison, Tuuli Helle, Maija Karhunen, Outi Ivaska, a small group of dance lovers and disability activists. Together, they laid the foundation for a community devoted to showcasing artists with and without disabilities and creating truly inclusive creative spaces.
Key milestones
X Dance Festival
In 2016, Kaaos Company founded the X Dance Festival, a biennial festival celebrating inclusive dance practices. XDF is a space for innovation, experimentation, and connection—bringing together artists, educators, and audiences from around the world.
Each time festival activities include workshops, performances, film screenings, panel discussions, interviews, and presentations.
Through all of this, the name Kaaos Company has remained—and continues to be the name you hear when people talk about our classes, our performances, and the community we’ve built. We’re proud to carry that legacy forward as we keep creating dance that disrupts, connects, and transforms.
From the Artistic Director
Sally Davison (2010-2023)
My motivation has always been fueled to create a wider perception of dance as a portal to expose perceptual realities beyond the mundane. Every body is a portal to perceive and an invitation to become something more than what is known.
When artistic work is created from varied embodiments we are all invited to be-come aware of our own assumptions, presumptions and prejudices (many which may be unexamined social and cultural narratives and biases).
As Artistic Director I was always interested in developing work to conceive and present original ideas by finding key collaborators who could support the uniqueness of the dancers and the company in their artistic work.
My intentions with Kaaos Company were directly influenced by my own biases (including my own assumptions, presumptions and prejudices) and the trajectory of the work can not be separated from my own ongoing process of embodiment.
The intention behind Kaaos Company was to keep the process fluid by inviting different performers (people who had experience but also those who did not). To keep the conversation growing through varied embodiments and creative processes. This also extended to where the work was performed and to whom, as I believe this not only changes perceptions and narratives but also supports a more inclusive dance field in Finland which benefits every body.
My intentions with Kaaos Company were directly influenced by my own biases (including my own assumptions, presumptions and prejudices) and the trajectory of the work can not be separated from my own ongoing process of embodiment.
Become a member
DanceAbility Finland ry is a non-profit association whose mission is to promote accessible, inclusive dance. DanceAbility Finland offers you and your community dance workshops and various courses and training.