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Kairos Alive! transforms lives through dance and story.

Stemming from an idea founder Maria Genné had when her daughter Parker was 17, Kairos Alive! took full shape in 1999 as the first intergenerational modern dance company in the Twin Cities.

Since then, their work has expanded, transforming Kairos into a community-based arts and arts education organization that welcomes all to the community circle.

“I met a group of older adults in this adult day program,” Maria said. "As we started dancing, I noticed that people started remembering stories or saying 'Oh, I thought I'd forgotten that.'... It was an opportunity to see older people as beautiful people with gifts and stories as well as the young ones and that we are supposed to be together. We're not supposed to be in separate groups.”

Intergenerational Connection

Kairos operates through a Choreography of Care, with programs that put elders at the center of dance, movement, storytelling and intergenerational connection. Among their programs are the Intergenerational Dance Hall public participation events, Dancing Heart weekly programming and Community Arts and Wellbeing residencies.

During the pandemic, Kairos shifted its programs to keep seniors connected through Zoom, continuing their work to combine health, arts education and dance to support the wellbeing of seniors.

"What is so cool about Zoom is how many people across the world are dancing together," Maria said. "And they're all ages, all backgrounds, all abilities, all understandings, and they're dancing to the same music, they're sharing things that matter to them. That’s the healing."

“ What is so cool about Zoom is how many people across the world are dancing together. And they're all ages, all backgrounds, all abilities, all understandings, and they're dancing to the same music, they're sharing things that matter to them. That’s the healing.”

Maria Genné