Hello there Gabrielle Haga!

Gabrielle is, along with Fiona Ferguson from Edinburgh International Children’s Festival and Annika Ostwald from Rum för Dans, one of this year’s three curators.

How does it feel to be a part of Step?
– I’ve known the team at Step for many years; I think it’s been close to ten years since I first met them. Because of that, it was very easy to say yes when they asked if I wanted to be involved as one of the curators for this year’s festival. The Step team is a stable and dedicated group, and we at Scenekunstbruket feel a strong sense of collegial connection with them.

What were your thoughts when putting the program together?
– We curators don’t put together the programme ourselves, but we propose performances, completely independently of one another. It was great fun to see what the other curators had selected as suggestions for this year’s festival. I proposed performances that show a breadth of formats and genres, for different age groups, and that also reflect the diversity within the Norwegian dance field for young audiences.

What has been the biggest challenge?
– The hardest part for me has been having to choose things out. In Norway, we have an enormous production of dance for young audiences thanks to Den kulturelle skolesekken. There is so much being produced, and at such a high artistic level, that the most difficult thing has been selecting just a few.

What are you most proud of this year?
– I think the Step team has created an incredibly strong and cohesive festival, where the professional programme and the performances complement one another, and where there is both a focus on the local audience and on delegates coming from other places. I think it has become a very cool mix of large and small performances, in traditional theatre spaces as well as in alternative venues and outdoors.

What are you looking forward to the most?
– I’ll be attending the festival during the professional program from 4–6 March. It will be very valuable to gather several Nordic stakeholders to jointly discuss a Nordic map of the infrastructure for performing arts for young audiences. I’m also looking forward to the performances, to meeting other professionals, and to getting to know the different venues in and around Gothenburg. And of course, to experiencing the great hospitality of the Step team.