Jaakko Kulmala

Jaakko has been a dancer for companies such as jazz dance collective M Art Lab, PDC Pori Dance Company, Tromäki Dance Company and Off/balance Dance Company. He’s been working as a dancer/actor in several productions for the Sweden-Finnish theatre - Uusi Teatteri.

Jaakko is specialized in jazz dance and it’s history. He teaches and lectures at different dance institutes and venues such as Stockholm University of the Arts and Balettakademien Stockholm. Jaakko's formal base in jazz dance is in Mattox technique and he is a certified instructor in the anatomical Simonson method. His ambition is to increase the awareness of the diversity within the field of jazz dance and to give a fresh but historically rooted take on the dance style.

”My classes establish the jazz techniques as a strong base for exploring the different movement qualities of jazz dance. The goal of my warm-up is to work through the body anatomically correct while building up strength, flexibility, stylistic awareness and musicality. I believe that my training gives a dancer the knowledge to grow as an artist through the challenging technical workout, interpretation and by deepening the understanding of the connections between the body and the jazz idiom. I master most of the different jazz genres and the history of jazz which makes my style a fresh blend of jazz tradition and contemporary influences. My aim is to inspire dancers to dance from the inside and to really feel the jazz experience in their bodies.”