Over 1,000 volunteers perform in large-scale dance work on Oulu beach

A mass dance performance featuring more than 1,000 volunteers in matching blue clothing took place Sunday on Nallikari beach in Oulu as part of the city’s year as a European Capital of Culture, Finnish broadcaster Yle reports.

The work, titled Veden huomaan (Noticing the Water), included a nearly 100-voice women’s choir and was staged by photographer Meeri Koutaniemi and choreographer Hanna Brotherus. The project received one of the largest targeted grants—€15,000—from Oulu’s cultural program.

Koutaniemi and Brotherus said they began planning the piece over a year ago, driven by shared interests in human connection, nature, and interdisciplinary art. Central themes of the performance included encounter, the sea, and marine conservation. “We humans are mostly water ourselves,” Brotherus noted.

Originally conceived as a “utopian dream” to recruit 1,000 participants, the project exceeded expectations, with Koutaniemi expressing surprise at the enthusiasm and curiosity of volunteers. The beach location held personal significance for Koutaniemi, who lived in Oulu as a teenager and recalled its shallow waters.

Music for the performance was composed specifically for the event, with Elina Kärki conducting the choir. A short dance film of the work will be completed by late August to coincide with Baltic Sea Day.