Professionals program 2026
Welcome to three days filled with dance, talks and encounters!
The program runs from Wednesday to Friday March 4-6 and is for anyone working with dance, performing arts or culture for young audiences in general. Take the opportunity to meet both Swedish and international delegates and get inspired during three full dance days at three different locations in Region Västra Götaland. This year’s program takes place at Vara Konserthus, Mölnlycke kulturhus and at Folkteatern in Gothenburg, with the option of seeing additional performances in Mölndal and in Gothenburg.
Program
Wednesday March 64
The first day of the professional’s program takes place at Vara Konserthus in Vara. We start the day outside of the concert house foyer with the performance Bare Rør by Norwegian Panta Rei Danseteater. After this it’s time for the grand opening with speeches by Simon Ljungman from Vara Konserthus, Carl Forsberg who is 1st vice chairman of the cultural committee in Region Västra Götaland and by Step’s project manager Hanko Zell. Then there may also be a dance surprise led by choreographer and dancer Maja Fock… After this it’s time for the performance Tillie the Terrible by choreographer Tanja Andersson and actor Stefan Ostojić. The afternoon starts with a short presentation by Vara Konserthus and their operations, followed by a conversation with Tanja Andersson and Stefan Ostojić who will talk about their bicycle tour and work with social circus and performing arts. After this it’s time to travel to Mölndal via Gothenburg for the evening performance DANCING WITH THE DEAD with Malmö based company Bobbi Lo Produktion.
The talks during the day are moderated by Sandra Grehn.
10:00 – Registration incl. coffe/tea and sandwich
10:30 – Bare Rør by Panta Rei Danseteater
11:00 – Opening of Step 2026
11:30 – Tillie the Terrible by Tanja Andersson and Stefan Ostojić
12:30 – Lunch
13:30 – Presentation Vara Konserthus
13:45 – Artist presentations with Tanja Andersson and Stefan Ostojić
19:00 – DANCING WITH THE DEAD by Bobbi Lo Produktion – Lorry, Mölndal
Language: English
Location: Vara Konserthus, Allégatan 49, 534 31 Vara
Nearest stop: Vara resecentrum
Location: Lorry, Gamla torget 43, 431 34 Mölndal
Nearest stop: Gamla torget or Mölndals Innerstad
The program in Vara is free of charge. Coffee/tea and sandwich is included in the registration and lunch can be bought at the concert house. The entrance for the evening performance DANCING WITH THE DEAD at Lorry in Mölndal is also free of charge, but it’s first come first served. So be there in time to secure a seat.
Please note that you must register for the professional’s program.
Click here to register!
Thursday March 5
The second day of the professional’s program starts at Mölnlycke kulturhus in Mölnlycke. During the day in Mölnlycke, you can enjoy films by CALS West, giving an insight into young community art from West Sweden, mainly focused on dance. The films are played continuously throughout the day. The performance program starts with Papperssvalan by Malmö based Memory Wax, where you can choose to attend either the first or the second performance. In parallel to this, we are also presenting the performance En dans för ett ord by Regionteater Väst. Also here there is limited capacity, and you’ll be able to choose which of the performances you’d like to attend when you register. After this we have a short welcome presentation by Terese Anthin, head of culture in Härryda municipality. This is followed by a conversation about the conditions that enable the creation of dance performances for young audiences with Hanna Uddenberg from Mölnlycke kulturhus and Johanna Jonasson from Memory Wax. After lunch the time has come for presenting the structures for producing and presenting dance for young audiences in the Nordic countries. In order to do this, we have invited Gabrielle Haga from Scenekunstbruket in Norway, Pernille Møller Taasinge from Aaben Dans in Denmark, Taneli Törmä from Tanssiteatteri Minimi in Finland, Tinna Grétarsdóttir from Reykjavík Arts Festival in Iceland and ASSITEJ from Sweden. The idea is to gain a common understanding on what it looks like in each respective country, followed by a shared discussion on how we can work for more collaborations and touring possibilities in the Nordic countries. After this, it’s time to go back to Gothenburg and Atalante to see the performance Rock me Baby by Norwegians Karstein Solli & Øystein Elle. After the performance, we take a short walk around the block for a mingle with something to drink and something lighter to eat at Producentbyrån’s office!
The talks during the day are moderated by Sandra Grehn.
09:00 – Registration incl. coffee/tea and sandwich
09:00 – Film screening with CALS West
09:30 – Papperssvalan by Memory Wax – FULLY BOOKED!!!
09:30 – En dans för ett ord by Regionteater Väst
10:45 – Papperssvalan by Memory Wax
10:45 – En dans för ett ord by Regionteater Väst – FULLY BOOKED!!!
11:30 – Presentation and conversation with Terese Anthin and Hanna Uddenberg from Mölnlycke kulturhus and Johanna Jonasson from Memory Wax
12:00 – Lunch
13:00 – The Nordic Map – presentations from Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden
14:00 – Fika break
14:15 – The Nordic Map, continuation with shared discussion
16:30 – Rock me Baby by Karstein Solli & Øystein Elle – Atalante, Gothenburg
18:00 – Mingle at Producentbyrån
Language: English
Location: Mölnlycke kulturhus, Biblioteksgatan 2, 435 30 Mölnlycke
Nearest stop: Hulebäcksgymnasiet
Location: Atalante, Övre Husargatan 1, 411 22 Göteborg
Nearest stop: Pilgatan or Brunnsgatan
Location: Producentbyrån, Kastellgatan 6, 411 22 Göteborg
Nearest stop: Pilgatan or Brunnsgatan
The program is free of charge, apart from the performance Rock me Baby at Atalante in Gothenburg. Tickets for this can be bought here. Coffee/tea and fika during the day in Mölnlycke is included in the registration. Lunch can be bought at the restaurant at the culture house or somewhere nearby.
Please note that you must register for the professional’s program.
Click here to register!
Friday March 6
The third and final day of the 2026 professional’s program takes place at various locations in Gothenburg. We start the day at Spinnstudion at Järntorget with Sensing Movement: Creating Sensory Performance – a workshop about tactile and inclusive methods for creating performances for young audiences with complex needs, led by Scottish choreographer and dancer Hayley Earlam – FULLY BOOKED!!! For those who would rather see a performance, Fritt fram by Norwegian KompaniTO is presented at Kulturhuset Bergsjön – FULLY BOOKED!!!. The afternoon will be spent at Folkteatern where our main focus is on the artists and the creative process. As part of this year’s Step Extended, we have invited dancers and choreographers Maja Fock and Anna Hallqvist as well as the company Värmdans, who all were part of Dansakademin’s Open Stage in October 2025, to present their respective artistic work. After this we have invited Hayley Earlam to present the work on the performance Brrr, created for children and youth with complex needs. The afternoon at Folkteatern concludes with a presentation by Zara Zimmermann from ASSITEJ Sverige about Kulturkånken – a concrete initiative for a national model ensuring that every child gets access to performing arts in school, regardless of where they live. This is followed by a conversation with Mari Dahl Stoknes from KompaniTO. Together they will discuss how we can make sure more children and youth gets the chance to experience dance as a natural part of their schooling, and what structures might help us get there. After this we end this year’s professional’s program at the Nordstan shopping mall with the performance Pop!, created by Scottish dancer and choreographer Vince Virr.
The talks during the day are moderated by Sandra Grehn.
09:00 – Workshop with Hayley Earlam, Spinnstudion – FULLY BOOKED!!!
09:00 – Fritt fram by KompaniTO – Kulturhuset Bergsjön – FULLY BOOKED!!!
13:00 – Registration at Folkteatern
13:30 – Artist presentations with Maja Fock, Anna Hallqvist and Värmdans
14:30 – Fika pause
14:45 – Presentation Hayley Earlam
15:30 – Presentation ASSITEJ Sverige and Mari Dahl Stoknes about dance and school
17:00 – Pop! by Vince Virr – Nordstan
Language: English
Location: Spinnstudion, Järntorget 7, 413 04 Göteborg
Nearest stop: Järntorget
Location: Kulturhuset Bergsjön, Bergsjöns kulturhusväg 4A, 415 66 Göteborg
Nearest stop: Rymdtorget
Location: Folkteatern, Olof Palmes Plats 1, 413 30 Göteborg
Nearest stop: Järntorget
Location: Nordstan, Götgatan 11, 411 05
Nearest stop: Brunnsparken
The program is free of charge, and coffee/tea and fika at Folkteatern is included in the registration. There is strictly limited capacity for the performance Fritt fram at Kulturhuset Bergsjön, so it’s first come first served. The same goes for the workshop with Hayley Earlam, so make sure you book early if you want to attend it. Booking for both Frittt fram and Hayley’s workshop is done in the Google form where you register for the Step professional’s program.
Please note that you must register for the professional’s program.
Click here to register!
Registration
The talks, mingle and other activities that takes places during the professional’s days in Vara, Mölnlycke and Gothenburg are all free of charge. With the exception of the performance Rock me Baby at Atalante on March 5 at 16:30. More information can be found in the registration form below.
Participants
Below here you can get a get a bit more aquainted with the participants of the 2026 Step professional’s program!
Simon Ljungman
Simon Ljungman, who grew up in Tumleberg outside of Vara, is a guitarist, songwriter, singer and band leader firmly anchored in the West Swedish music life. He’s well known as a member of Augustifamiljen and as a close collaborator of Håkan Hellström. After having been Artist in Residence at Vara Konserthus – where he among other things created a celebrated interpretation of Mozart’s Requiem and the concert series Simon med vänner – he now returns to the house as artistic development director. With a varied and broad background, a large network and a warm, curious drive he will lead the work on audience development and artistic renewal and continue making the concert house a vibrant and inclusive meeting place.
Tanja Andersson
Tanja Andersson is a contemporary dance artist from Umeå/Sápmi, currently based in Gothenburg at the collective Scen46. Tanja works interdisciplinary with actors, musicians, cinematographers and sound artists. She moves seamlessly between different genres and artistic disciplines and has created several works connected to Sami and tornedalsk practices and philosophies. Has recently started working with clown techniques and acrobatics/circus – and creating works for young audiences, most recently with the performance Tillie the Terrible that premiered in September 2024. In addition to her artistic work, Tanja teaches physical floor-work and improvisation and is active in various parts of the performing arts field.
Stefan Ostojić
Stefan graduated from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad in the class of Professor Ljuboslav Majera in 2017. Since then, he has performed in many national theatres in Serbia and all around Europe with his solo clown show Lala. Since 2024 he is doing bicycle tours through small villages with the biggest tour being the Circus Wolke tour he did, together with Tanja Andersson, from Vienna to Kikinga, Serbia. With his musical standup, poetry dinner and other shows and workshops he travels as a freelance artist and spreads the stories of his culture and homeland. He has been awarded many rewards for his work in clown and puppetry.
Johanna Jonasson
Johanna Jonasson is the artistic director of Memory Wax. For the last 20 years, she and Miguel Azcue have created suggestive and acknowledged works for children, youth and grown-ups that has been presented in Sweden and abroad. Throughout the years, Memory Wax has also arranged larger dance festivals and international cultural exchanges in both Sweden and in Cuba. Johanna trained at Svenska Balettskolan and Danshögskolan in Stockholm and has worked as a dancer for several companies and choreographers throughout the world before starting Memory Wax in Malmö in 2004. When she was little, she had a hard time being still. She started dancing as a six-year-old, and that’s when she felt she had come home. Through dance she could express all her emotions without using words. It was a liberation.
Hanna Uddenberg
Hanna has worked with dance and performing arts for young audiences in different ways for many years. In 2008 she was one of the co-founders of Producentbyrån and she has been a producer for a lot of groups and productions. She changed perspective in 2015 when she started working as a coordinator for children’s culture at Mölnlycke culture centre in Härryda municipality. To book and organize performances and other programs for children and young audiences is the main part of her work. For a few years she has also been one of the members of Dansakademin’s steering group. Mölnlycke has participated in Step since the start in 2020.
Tinna Grétarsdóttir
Tinna has worked in dance and performing arts since graduating from KHiO in Oslo in 1998. She began her career as a performer, and after returning to her native Iceland founded Bird & Bat, a small dance company specializing in performances for young audiences. From 2012-2022 the company created numerous works that toured widely across culture houses, kindergartens, and theatres, both nationally and internationally. Tinna served as Managing Director of Dansverkstæðið—a studio and residency space for dance and performing arts in Reykjavík—for 13 years. She recently transitioned to a new role as Executive Director of Reykjavík Arts Festival, a multidisciplinary biennial festival in Iceland’s capital.
Taneli Törmä
Taneli is a dance artist who works as a dancer, choreographer, dance filmmaker and curator. His 20-year career includes a wide range of assignments and projects. Taneli lived abroad in Italy, Denmark and Germany from 2007 to 2024, working first as a fixed dancer in various repertory companies and later as a freelance artist. For the last ten years he has focused on his own dance productions under the name LOCATION X, with international dance projects that have been performed in more than 20 countries. He started as full-time artistic director of Dance Theatre Mini in August 2024.
Pernille Møller Taasinge
Pernille Møller Taasinge is development director for Aaben Dans in Roskilde. As part of management, Pernille is responsible for project development, strategies, partnership, collaborations and curating. She is also a producer for the SWOP Festival, an international dance biennale for young audiences that was started by Aaben Dans in 2012. The festival offers a wide range of performances from all over the world as well as a variety of activities such as workshops, film screenings, seminars, etc. In addition to this, she also works as an advisor and mentor for young artists and various organisations and is also an external examiner for Danske Scenekunstskole, appointed by Kulturministeriet. She is also a board member of Betty Nansen Teatret, appointed by Statens Kunstfonds Scenekunstudvalg and vice chair of the board of Odsherreds Teater.
Gabrielle Haga
Gabrielle Haga has since 2016 worked as a Senior Advisor at Scenekunstbruket, a national organization dedicated to providing professional performing arts for children and youth. Scenekunstbruket organizes the annual Showbox festival, Norway’s largest performing arts festival for young audiences, and is a major contributor to The Cultural Schoolbag. In her role, Haga focuses on artistic development, cultural policy, and international projects aimed at strengthening the performing arts sector in Norway and abroad. She holds a master’s degree in Theatre Science from the University of Oslo, along with degrees in Nordic languages and literature, as well as Performing Arts from the University of Agder. Scenekunstbruket is deeply connected to the dance field for young audiences in Norway, providing art funding, professional programs for dancers and choreographers, through collaborations with dance organizations, and the extensive repertoire of performances for the young audiences.
ASSITEJ Sverige
ASSITEJ Sverige is a platform for anyone working with or who have an interest in performing arts for young audiences in Sweden. The members of ASSITEJ consists of actors, directors, scenographers and playwrights, as well as theatre groups, organisations and institutions, critics and writers, culture administrators, amateur theatres, presenters and various associations. ASSITEJ Sverige works to spread knowledge about Swedish performing arts for young audiences, and with organising exchanges, guest performances and mediating contacts. They also organise seminars and workshops for their Swedish member and raises artistic issues and questions regarding cultural policy.
Hayley Earlam
Hayley Earlam (she/her) is an award-winning Dance Artist working across performance, facilitation, and creation based in Glasgow, Scotland. She trained at Northern School of Contemporary Dance and works as a choreographer, performer, facilitator, movement direction, rehearsal director, and artist for dance and theatre companies on national and international stages. She was awarded the Scottish Culture Award for Best Dance Performer in 2018. She holds a Masters in Education from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (MEd – Learning & Teaching in the Arts) with research focussed on sensory performance practice for young audiences with complex needs.
As a choreographer, Hayley creates sensory-based theatre for the most extraordinary audiences including babies, early years, and disabled audiences with complex needs. Hayley’s work explores putting the audience at the heart of the performance through intensive interactions, creative consultation, and cultivating joy and curiosity. Hayley is driven to offer a safe space for everyone to thrive in movement and dance with a practice rooted in inclusivity and accessibility.
Maja Fock
Maja Fock is a dancer and choreographer based in Gothenburg, Sweden. She is educated at Kävesta Folkhögskola and Balettakademien in Gothenburg.
She has worked as a dancer in the performance Livets Väv choreographed by Felix Skalberg. During summer 2024 she visited Rumania and danced with Simona Deaconescu. As the only Swedish dancer, she was selected to take part in DIP in Belgium along with Anton Lachky, and during 2025-2026 she is part of the project Forgiveness? that’s touring around Region Västra Götaland.
Maja’s artistic focus is to create dance that everyone can take part in and understand. Maja wants to create a world where anyone can understand the feeling, message and the adrenaline of her performance. She is currently working on her first piece for young audiences called ACC, that will premiere at Atalante in Gothenburg on May 22, 2026.
Anna Hallqvist
Anna Hallqvist is a dance artist based in Gothenburg with a degree from the dance education at Balettakademin in Gothenburg 2025. Anna is working as both choreographer and dancer. Her solo Transformation was presented during the first edition of Creative Currents arranged by No Deadline, autumn 2025. She began work on her second solo Hjärtat, själen och resten during a residency at Samiskt Danscenter and showed a work-in-progress during Open Stage 2025, arranged by Dansakademin and Mölnlycke kulturhus. Anna has danced at the opening of Gothenburg Fringe Festival 2024 and 2025. She has also performed in works by other choreographers, most recently in Olof Persson’s On Our Way at 3:e Våningen in Gothenburg.
She is interested in the body’s context in the room and create worlds that shifts focus between body and object. She investigates the tension between what we see and experience. The dance becomes an interaction between the past and the future, an interaction with oneself. Using her experiences in working with dance for young audiences, she is inspired by their presence and their reactions on the experience. It’s direct and honest.
Värmdans
Värmdans is a dance-ensemble made up of professional dance artists based in Karlstad and the Värmland region. Our goal is to share and spread the art of dance! Through performances, workshops, and creative projects, we explore the expressive power of dance in dialogue with other art forms and social issues, reaching out to diverse audiences. We collaborate with schools, companies, and event organizers who wish to include a cultural element in their conference, lecture, or event. Värmdans draws inspiration from encounters with people – from their stories, memories, and realities we create our performances. Starting in 2025, Värmdans is the first dance ensemble in Värmland to receive base funding from Region Värmland and the Municipality of Karlstad.
Mari Dahl Stoknes
Mari Dahl Stoknes is a contemporary circus artist trained at Lido (FR) and AFUK (DK). Based in Luster, Norway and founder of KompaniTO, Merge Norge – Scenekunstfestival for nysirkus, Naga Collective and Tractor Circus Project. She is touring with the performances Fritt fram (KompaniTO), Nesa i jorda (KompaniTO and ENT), Under huden (KompaniTO and Fonomonik) and 1+1 (KompaniTO). Has toured her own performances through Den Kulturelle Skolesekken (The Cultural Schoolbag) since 2019. In addition to this, she runs the site-specific project Arena Silo and works as a freelance artist in the Nordics and in Europe.
Sandra Grehn
Sandra Grehn is a senior lecturer and researcher in Theatre studies at Stockholm University and defended her PhD in 2020 at the University of Gothenburg with a thesis on three productions at Backa Teater in Gothenburg. Her performing arts research is interdisciplinary and addresses, among other things, decolonial and ecocritical perspectives on performing arts for young audiences, as well as the dramaturgical strategies that these perspectives enable. She is also active as a performing arts critic at Göteborgs-Posten and an expert at the City of Gothenburg’s cultural support unit.
Information
Accomodation
This year’s official festival hotel is Comfort Hotel Göteborg, right next to Stenpiren. Click here to book.
Transport
The easiest way to get around in Gothenburg and Region Västra Götaland is by public transport. More information, tram and bus lines and timetables can be found at www.vasttrafik.se.
Would you rather go by taxi you can for example choose Taxi Göteborg, TaxiKurir Göteborg or Minitaxi .
The easiest way to and from Landvetter Airport is with www.flygbussarna.se that goes between the airport and Nils Ericson Terminalen every 12 minutes. The journey takes approximately 30 min.
Venues
Vara Konserthus
Allégatan 49
534 31 Vara
www.varakonserthus.se
Lorry
Gamla torget 43
431 34 Mölndal
Mölnlycke kulturhus
Biblioteksgatan 2
435 30 Mölnlycke
www.harryda.se
Atalante
Övre Husargatan 1
411 22 Göteborg
www.atalante.se
Producentbyrån
Kastellgatan 6
411 22 Göteborg
www.producentbyran.se
Spinnstudion
Järntorget 7
413 04 Göteborg
www.danskompanietspinn.se
Kulturhuset Bergsjön
Bergsjöns kulturhusväg 4A
415 66 Göteborg
www.goteborg.se
Folkteatern Göteborg
Olof Palmes Plats
413 04 Göteborg
www.folkteatern.se