Category: News

The time has come to release an additional two performance for next year’s edition of Step! And by chance, both of these are Norwegian. Two very different performances when it comes to aesthetics, but with the same core of everybody’s right to be who they are and who they want to be. An important message in a world like this.

Rock me Baby could best be described as a glam rock dance theatre concert that playfully challenges gender norms. One half rock concert inspired by the rock aesthetics of the 70s and 80s, and one half explosive dance performance. It’s glam and glitter and a musical celebration about being who you want to be. It’s also very funny, even if you happen to be a grown up.

In choreographer and dancer Tony Tran’s new performance Love Tenderly we meet a completely different expression as he tackles the question – can we inherit trauma over generations? The performance is a voyage of discovery through his family history from his fathers’ experiences of prison camp and refugee life to his own upbringing as a homosexual boy in Norway, in a catholic family hailing from Vietnam. And gradually, a universal story about emancipation emerges. The performance is presented in collaboration between Teater Halland and Rum för Dans.

Hello Hanko Zell, project manager for Step – international dance festival for young audiences, which is being held in West Sweden for the fourth time in March 2026.

What will happen during the next festival?
– A lot! There will be origami and circus-inspired performances, a cycling theme and outdoor dance. We’ll also have a pop-up performance in a shopping mall and a glam rock dance concert for babies. Hopefully, there’s something for everyone.

Why does Step exist?
– We saw a need — both to let dance meet the children, and to let practitioners within the field meet each other. But the question is bigger, perhaps rather why do we need culture? Because it’s the magic — the thing that brings color to life. The chance to experience something without any demands attached.

Why does the festival take place in so many locations? Isn’t Gothenburg enough?
– No, absolutely not! Culture shouldn’t be concentrated to big cities. Culture should exist where there are children. It’s a matter of democracy.

Do children need their own dance festival?
– Most certainly. We focus on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, especially since it’s now a law in Sweden. It clearly states that all children should have access to culture and the opportunity to express themselves. By offering many performances for preschools and school classes, it also becomes more equitable. Culture for everyone — not just for those who grow up with it at home.

What are you most looking forward to?
– All the encounters that bring a sparkle to the eyes, in both children and adults. And the opening ceremony — it’s going to be something special! I encourage everyone who can to come to Vara Konserthus on March 4.

The time has finally come to announce some of the performances that together will make up the next edition of Step that takes place in West Sweden om March 4-12 2026!

Bare Rør by Norwegian Panta Rei Danseteater is a humorous and ingenious outdoors performance where the pipes that the dancers are building with suddenly comes to life. DANCING WITH THE DEAD by Malmö based Bobbi Lo Produktion is a both vibrant and explosive performance, exploring themes like grief and death. Fritt fram by Norwegian KompaniTO is an acrobatic performance about the simple and the hard about playing together. Dancers Vince Virr and KJ Clarke-Davis from Scotland invites us to the high-energy and colorful pop-up performance Pop!, playfully dealing with the awkwardness of adolescence and thoughts on who you are and who you are allowed to be.

As always, it’s a mixed bag of performances both in terms of artistic expression and themes. And we are very proud and happy to present them as part of Step 2026!

Photo: Pop!/Ruth Armstrong

Danscentrum Väst, Producentbyrån and Mölnlycke kulturhus launches a brand new summer residency focusing on young audiences.

The residency takes place at Mölnlycke kulturhus during weeks 26-28, and gives you access to Lilla salen, which is an octagonal black box with a floor surface of at least 7×7 meters. There is some simple lighting and the possibility of playing music as well as a projector and screen. During the residency, you will also get the chance of a public showing or hosting an open workshop at the culture house, with support from the cultural coordinator. As part of the residency, you will also get some time with an artistic coach, and in addition to this you will get two free of charge counseling hours with Producentbyrån!

The residency is for anyone working as an independent dance artist, and you can apply as an individual choreographer, or as a group. As part of the residency, you will also get the opportunity to be a part of the 2026 Step festival, presenting your work from the residency. This could be in the form of a talk, process showing or something else that you mutually agree with Producentbyrån who run Step.

Application closes on Sunday May 18, and you apply by filling out this Google form. Please attach your CV and a short description of what you want to explore during your residency, maximum half a page long. When applying please be aware that you are expected to participate during the Step professional’s program March 4–6 2026.

Read more here!

The next edition of Step takes place from March 4–11 2026. We now have the great pleasure of announcing our three Artistic Curators that will make the selection for the upcoming edition of the festival!

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 in Norway. Scenekunstbruket organizes the annual Showbox festival, Norway’s largest performing arts festival for young audiences. Gabrielle works with artistic development, cultural policy, and international projects aimed at strengthening the performing arts sector in Norway and abroad.

Annika Ostwald
Annika is Head of Operations and Artistic Director of Rum för Dans in Region Halland and has previously worked internationally as Project Manager and Dance Producer, for instance many years in Norway with Alan Lucien Øyen and his company winter guests. Since 2018, she is based in Sweden, also working as a Mentor, Senior Advisor and Producer, among other things with productions for young audiences.

Fiona Ferguson
This will be the third time around for Fiona who also worked as Curator for the 2022 and 2024 editions of the festival. Fiona works as Creative Development Director for Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, where her role includes initiating and leading projects and international initiatives.

In short, three amazing people that we know will make a selection that is inviting, inclusive, varied, surprising and challenging!

The selection will be presented to our regional partners at the end of January 2025, with a final and complete selection ready by the last of April. There are a lot of things that needs to fall into place until then, but it feels great to be at it again!

It may sound complacent, but this year’s edition of Step can’t be described as anything but a success in every way possible! All in all, 39 events at ten venues and locations in five municipalities in Regions Västra Götaland and Halland were presented. Children, youth, adults, and elderly from the municipalities Borås, Göteborg, Härryda, Kungsbacka and Lerum got the opportunity to experience performances from The United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden.

The selection for Step 2024 was done by our curators Fiona Ferguson – creative development director at Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, Adjjima Na Patalung – Festival Director of BICT Fest in Bangkok and Peter Sunesson – Producer at Helsingborgs stadsteater in Helsingborg. The staff at Producentbyrån were responsible for bringing in local, regional, and national performances and events to the program.

Our international professionals program gathered over 60 people from The United Kingdom, Thailand, Norway and Sweden. During three days – March 6-8 – industry professionals gathered at Kungsbacka Teater, House of Possibilitas and Folkteatern to network, mingle and listen to talks about collaboration between the independent dance sector and the institutions, the connection between performing arts and schools, work with international networks and festivals, artistic processes and much more. As part of Step Extended, we also presented five West Swedish dance artists and companies for the participating industry professionals.

New for Step 2024 was the collaboration with Rum för Dans and Kungsbacka Teater where we kicked of the professionals program and the entire festival on March 6. In addition to speeches by Step’s project manager Hanko Zell and Hanna Schölander, chair of Driftnämnden Kultur och skola in Region Halland, the grand opening also featured a dance performance by students from the Angered culture school.

We would like to thank the participating companies, our partners, presenters, and funders for believing in what we do and for doing this together with us. And finally – a massive thanks to everyone who attended the performances and talks during Step 2024!

Now the time has also come to present the professionals’ program for Step 2024 that takes place in Kungsbacka and Gothenburg on March 6–8.

The first day of the professionals’ program – Wednesday March 6 – takes place at Kungsbacka Teater in collaboration with Rum för Dans and Kungsbacka Teater. There will be talks with Rum för Dans, Kungsbacka Teater, Bobbi Lo Production and Sara Lindström Lindhe and Helena Lambert and the performances Träda Trassla Tråda… by Lambert & Lindström and UNTZ BABY UNTZ by MYKA. Here we’re also hosting the official grand opening of Step 2024 in the foyer of Kungsbacka Teater. There will be toasts, speeches and dancing! Thursday March 7 we will spend at House of Possibilitas in Gothenburg. We will present the performances Stor prick, liten prick by Memory Wax and Svansen by Danskompaniet Spinn. As part of Step Extended we have invited the dance artists and companies Minna Elif Wendin, Anna-Greta Himmer, PAx, Kompani Catapult and Cecee Rowland-Huss to present their artistry. There will also be a presntation by ASSITEJ Sweden on the connection between performing arts and schools. In the evening we’re heading into town to see the performance Stuntman at Folkteatern. On Friday March 8 we return to Folkteatern. Once again we have a presentation by ASSITEJ Sweden on work opportunities, festivals, networks and how Swedish groups can tour abroad. There will be presentations of Step’s Dance Club and Swedish Inheritance Fund project Community Art Lab Sweden, which is a digital stage for young artistry. We end the Friday with a relaxed mingle at FOLK!

All talks during the professional’s program are moderated by Sandra Grehn. The professionals’ program is free of charge, apart from the performance of UNTZ BABY UNTZ at 17:00 on March 6 and the performance of Stuntman at Folkteatern at 18:30 on March 7. Please note though that you have to register to attend the professionals’ program. Registration for the 2024 professionals’ program can be found here.

The professionals’ program in its entirety can be found here!

The time has finally come to present the performances that make up Step 2024! This year we have the great joy of presenting a total of seven performances from Belgium, Scotland, Denmark and Sweden. There are performances about masculinity norms and entertainment violence, infant techno and balancing acts that challenges the boundaries. There are also performances inspired by classical children’s games, that contemplate the big picture in the small things, that takes us on a journey into space and that more resembles a dance installation.

All in all, we are presenting seven performances for all ages between Wednesday to Saturday March 6-9. There is the Scottish mini performance Peekaboo Poncho. Inspired by the game of peekaboo and hide and seek, it is a fun, immersive, dance piece for babies and toddlers. Shall we together by Belgian company tout petit, a performance in which two dancers challenge each other to push boundaries. Malmö based Memory Wax’ new performance Stor prick, liten prick is a performance about the small things in the big picture and the big picture in the small things. Yet another performance from Scotland comes in the form of Stuntman, which is an intensely physical, funny, and tender duet by two men wrestling with their relationship to violence – both onscreen and off. Danskompaniet Spinn’s latest performance Svansen is about friendship and curiosity, but also about consideration and how we together take care of that which surrounds us. Träda Trassla Tråda… by choreographers Lambert & Lindström is an interactive performance in the borderlands between dance and art installation welcoming audiences of all kinds. Last but not least, Danish company MYKa’s UNTZ BABY UNTZ which is an interactive dance performance where bass and techno meets children’s parties.

In other words, and just as it should be, the festival program is a sprawling and altogether wonderful palette of performances for anyone interested in dance!

Read more about the Step performances here.

The third of spring’s five meetings of Step’s Dance Club takes place at Mölnlycke kulturhus as part of International Dance Day on April 29. There will be a program that’s open to the public and a parallel program for the participating teachers.

During the day, Step has the immense honor of presenting the performance of Kompani Catapult’s new dance performance Konsekvens! The performance raises issues like the choices we make and how we interact with eachother. It’s a performance where the answers lie as much in what happens on stage as with the audiences’ interpretations. The performance is for children ages 12 years and up and families. The day also feature Gustaf Jönsson, who was the municipality choreographer in Varberg during 2021. Gustav and Kompani Catapult with host a discussion lead by Sandra Grehn about the respective processes as municipality choreographer in Varberg and Tjörn. In addition to this, Gustaf will hold a dance workshop inspired by Kompani Catapult’s performance Konsekvens. There is no need to bring a change of clothes for this, but wear comfortable clothes that you can move in. The workshop is also for children ages 12 years and up and families.

Schedule for the public program
11:00-11:45 – the dance performance Konsekvens by Kompani Catapult
12:30-13:15 – talk about the work as municipality choreographer
13:30-14:15 – dance workshop with Gustaf Jönsson
Location: Mölnlycke kulturhus

All of the above events are free of charge, but you have to register in advance.
Please register by filling in this Google form!

International Dance Day ay Mölnlycke kulturhus is presented in collaboration with Härryda kommun.

Photo: Nena Segerbrand, Anepe Photo

This week it’s time for the second of five teacher’s meetings that are part of the project Step’s Dance Club this spring.

The theme for the upcoming meeting, that takes place at Konstkollektivet in Mölndal, is how we can analyze and talk about performances. During the day our teachers will see the performance Förvandling by Big Wind. The day also contains a lecture on how to interpret performing arts – including practical tools on performance analysis – lead by the ever-amazing dramaturge Anna Berg.

Anna Berg
Anna Berg works as a freelance dramaturge, lecturer and course leader and is currently working as a dramaturge at Göteborgs Stadsteater. Educated at Dramatiska Institutet as playwright/dramaturge. Has worked at Regionteater Väst, Riksteatern, Dramaten, Backa Teater, Den Nationale Scene in Bergen, Teater Halland, Hagateatern and Teater Jaguar. Has also worked with development issues at Göteborgs stad kulturförvaltning and is since 2014 the course leader for Lärare ser på scenkonst at Backa Teater alongside Erika Isaksson.