HISTORY OF KPOPDANCEOULU

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KPOPDANCEOULU is a dance school founded in 2018 by Joona Aartola from Oulu. Aartola started dancing K-pop dances with a group of friends, but later decided to start a dance school to make K-pop dancing more accessible for everyone. Aartola has been a full-time teacher at KPOPDANCEOULU since the inception. KPOPDANCEOULU quickly brought together a large part of the K-pop community in the Oulu region. Since the beginning, the classes have been attended by both younger and older enthusiasts, and many students have found new friends through their shared hobby.

KPOPDANCEOULU has always believed that everyone should have the right and opportunity to participate, regardless of age, gender or background.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

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KPOPDANCEOULU has grown and diversified over the years. The range of courses has expanded and in the fall of 2024, a new course called ADVANCED PRODUCTION was launched, at the end of which the students will film a dance cover of the dance they have practised, which will be published on YouTube. Joona Aartola is still KPOPDANCEOULU's full-time teacher, but he is now joined by Iiris Ihalainen and Naomi Edereho.

Today, there are also two competing dance groups under KPOPDANCEOULU: BACKPAIN DANCE CREW and GROWING PAINS DANCE CREW. Both groups have performed and competed in various events and competitions around Finland and BACKPAIN DANCE CREW has also placed in Swedish dance competitions.

KPOPDANCEOULU is offering four different full-length courses this spring, as well as various intensive courses! Due to their great popularity, two K-POP KIDS' CLASS courses for 7-12-year-olds will be held this spring! The first courses will start in week 8, and registration will open on Monday, February 16, 2026. The following full-length courses will be held in spring 2026: 

K-POP KIDS’ CLASS 1 | 7-12 (open level)  Saturdays!

K-POP KIDS’ CLASS 2 | 7-12 (open level) !Wednesdays!

K-POP CHORUS | 13+ (beginners)

K-POP FULL SONG | 13+ (advanced / intermediate) 

K-POP FULL SONG & PRODUCTION | 15+ (advanced)

You can find more information about the courses on our website under the COURSES section. All courses are held in the dance studios on the third floor of Kulttuuritalo Valve (Hallituskatu 7, 90100 Oulu).

See you at the spring courses!