Our Mission

Our mission is to transform lives through dance and story. In supporting the artistic work of founder Maria Genné, we share her vision of intergenerational, intercultural participatory arts programs, and promote their power to nurture, heal, and create community among all ages and abilities.

Our Work

We are part of the emerging national fields of creative arts & aging and arts & health, working alongside professionals in the arts, health care, social services and community development. We seek to raise awareness of the importance of creative involvement across the lifespan. Our culture is witnessing a paradigm shift in attitudes related to aging. We are moving away from a model that assumes the inevitability of declining health and isolation as we age, toward a strengths-based, research-based approach that focuses on potential, vital engagement, health maintenance and prevention, and continued connections to community.

Our work draws upon many forms of modern dance, movement improvisation, folk dance, music, song, theater, poetry and oral history traditions from around the world. Artistic Director Maria Genné is recognized for her ability to highlight the beauty of the human experience through movement and story, skillfully weaving together the gifts of each performer. Kairos Alive! Performance Troupe™ is the only intergenerational modern dance theater company in Minnesota, and one of only a handful in the U.S.

Most importantly, we are a community-based arts and arts education organization that believes all are welcome in the community circle. Our intergenerational, intercultural performances – which we bring to schools, nursing homes, museums, parks, community centers and formal performance spaces – deliver a vision of what community can be: all ages, all backgrounds, all abilities — dancing together.

Who We Benefit

55+ Active Adults

Participate in Intergenerational Dance Hall™ or Dancing Heart™events
Dance with Kairos Alive! Performing Troupe™ all ages and abilities performing group
Learn mambo, Latin, swing, waltz, schottische, folk, and modern dance
Enjoy song, story and theater participation
Discover the latest research about the physical, social and cognitive health benefits of Kairos Alive! programs
Volunteer in community programs with seniors, children and youth
Facilitate and connect others to these programs

Youth & Adults with Disabilities

Proven highly successful with people with cognitive and developmental disabilities, our programs create breakthroughs for increased artistic, physical, and social involvement, and are inclusive of others with more conventional abilities.

Participate in a Dancing Heart™ event at your day program
Enjoy song, story, dance and theater participation
Learn the latest research about the physical and social health benefits of Kairos Alive! programs

Healthcare & Social Service Providers

Kairos Alive! Choreography of Care™ arts and health programs are custom designed for you and the people you serve, and can positively change family and organizational cultures.

Involve staff in our Moving Well™ 16-hr training
Host Community Arts and Wellbeing™ Residencies that include Moving Well™ training, Intergenerational Dance Hall™ events, and other events with collaborating partners
Promote health benefits i.e. increased strength, balance and coordination; reduced medications and doctor visits; and improved mood and memory
Improve relationships and involvement with client families
Build/deepen staff leadership development and satisfaction
Leverage these cultural and health benefits for marketing and recruitment efforts

Elders with Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Other Cognitive Impairments

Participate in a Dancing Heart™ program at your care center
Enjoy song, story, dance and theater participation
Learn the latest research about the physical, social and cognitive health benefits of Kairos Alive! programs
Sustain cognitive functioning longer

Youth & Families

Participate in intergenerational Intergenerational Dance Hall™ events. Venues for our performance events have included Loring Park, Minnehaha Park Bandshell, Cowles Center for Dance, Saint Catherine University, Walker Art Center, Minnesota Children’s Museum, and many elder care and community centers.

Dance with Kairos Alive! Performing Troupe™ all ages and abilities performing group
Be inspired by the life experiences, stories, dance and song of elders and others in this intergenerational setting
Build meaningful relationships with elders and others within a positive, creative and artistic community

Veterans

Participate in Dancing Heart™ and Intergenerational Dance Hall™programs
Enjoy song, story, dance and theater participation
Learn the latest research about the physical, social and cognitive health benefits of Kairos Alive! programs
Share your life experience to mentor and guide younger people
Find more hope, energy and enthusiasm

Family Care Partners

Participate in Dancing Heart™ and Intergenerational Dance Hall™programs
Learn the latest research about the physical, social and cognitive health benefits of Kairos Alive! programs
Discover new strategies for interacting with and supporting your loved one
Discover new strategies for self-care, and healthy family and community life
Advocate for your loved one and these programs

The Kairos Company: Teaching & Performing Artists

Morgen Chang

She/Her/Hers

Morgen Chang has been a member of Twin Cities theatre since 2009. She enjoys storytelling and exploring new work, and has been an actor and collaborator with Jungle Theater, the Playwrights' Center, Interact Center for the Arts, and Folktopia. Morgen currently serves as Programs Manager for Theater Mu, where she delights in encouraging young artists and developing community-based creative experiences.

Kevin Washington

He/Him/His

Kevin’s talents as a drummer and composer have made him a favorite among musicians in New York and Minneapolis. He currently leads his own group Kevin Washington & RA Spirit, performs in a band with bassist Anthony Cox called Happy Spirits, as well as Mississippi Quartet, and the Nachito Herrera Trio, Viva Brazil and Hip-Hop group called Toki Wright and This Debris. Kevin has performed with Reggie Workman, Roscoe Mitchell, Rodney Whitaker, Bob Hurst, Antonio Hart, Chico Freeman, James Carter, Fred Wesly, Roy Brooks, Marcus Belgrave, David Murray Big Band, Fred Hopkins, Craig Taborn, James Newton to name a few.

After first moving to Minneapolis at the age of thirteen, Kevin went on to New York City in 1996 to study jazz at the New School for Social Research. During his stay in New York he taught rhythm section fundamentals at the Harlem School of the Arts. Kevin is a lead teacher and artist with WalkerIWest Music Academy in Saint Paul, MN.

Keith Yánes

He/Him/His

Having grown up in a musical family, bassist Keith Yanes has played music in one form or another his whole life. He earned a jazz performance degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth and has participated in various musical collaborations that include jazz, rock, theater, bluegrass, and more. He currently resides in the Twin Cities area and keeps busy as an educator and freelance musician in both live and studio settings.

Jamie Andress, Animkii

He/Him/His

Poet, magician, photographer, bicycle mechanic and 7th generation descendant of Chief Mackinac, Jamie Andress carries on the family tradition of storytelling and artistry. Born and raised on Mackinac Island, his Anishinaabe name is Animkii, “The Thunderer”. Andress is inspired by the beauty of nature, the positive energy that comes with being surrounded by island artists, and the power of Spoken Word to turn pain into healing.

Jamie has performed his Spoken Word poems before audiences at numerous island venues, including winning “Mackinac’s Got Talent” multiple times since 2021, in Mt. Pleasant's Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College and in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the American Swedish Institute as part of the annual fundraiser “Poets, Writers and Musicians Against the War on the Earth.” He was recently named the first Poet Laureate of Mackinac County.

His close-up magic has amazed audiences on and off the Island for a decade at venues such as Grand Hotel, Mission Point Resort, Pink Pony, Island House Hotel, Grand Traverse Resort, Ferris State University and for many family events.

By embracing the beauty and everyday challenges of life, Jamie uses his creativity to spark curiosity, appreciation and astonishment within others to inspire them to embrace their unique potential.

WHAT WE DO

OUR ENGAGEMENT

We believe in the joy of intergenerational, all-abilities participatory arts to nurture, heal, and connect. Through innovative programs, we liberate the power of the performing arts to create communities rooted in belonging, inclusion, and celebration.

Kairos Alive! bridges the performing arts with over 60 community partners, including healthcare, social services, education, Tribal Nations, and local governments. Our art-based interventions engage individuals not traditionally seen as art makers, inviting them into inclusive, intercultural circles of creativity and shared celebration.

Our Teaching Artists reflect the communities we serve, co-creating programs that foster healing and belonging. Every activity is designed to empower participants to discover their artistic potential and build connections that improve well-being for all.