{"id":22007,"date":"2024-09-18T14:59:07","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T12:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T13:09:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T11:09:05","slug":"how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

The fall season at the Norrlandsoperan has just begun with a festive 50th-anniversary celebration. During the celebration on August 24, the program included a shortened version of the cult-classic dance piece *Rosa l\u00f6ften* by Hagar Malin Hellkvist Sell\u00e9n. Once again, we saw dancer Marianne Kj\u00e6rsund lovingly explore Swedish dance band culture, with her swaying chino pants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now it’s Monday, and in the dance director’s office, \u00c5sa S\u00f6derberg is sitting there familiarizing herself with an unfamiliar computer system, while memories from the past are flooding back to her from all directions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Pink<\/picture>\n\n\n\n

Marianne Kj\u00e6rsund in the play *Rosa l\u00f6ften*. Photographer: \u00c5se Bengtsson Helin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c5sa was the Norrlandsoperan\u2019s first director of dance at the turn of the millennium, and she is now filling the position on an interim basis, after Birgit Berndt\u2014following ten years in the role\u2014became artistic director of the Norwegian dance festival, Coda<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c5sa has, as she puts it, \u201calmost retired,\u201d but she can\u2019t resist fun projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her most recent full-time position was as CEO and artistic director at Sk\u00e5nes Dansteater in Malm\u00f6<\/a>. From there, she has followed the Norrlandsoperan\u2019s development in the field of dance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen how it has become an internationally significant stage. The Norrlandsoperan co-produces much of what is touring far and wide today. I\u2019m impressed,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\"\u00c5sa<\/picture>\n\n\n\n

\u00c5sa S\u00f6derberg, acting director of dance at the Norrlands Opera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s no coincidence that it happened right here. As early as the 1990s, Ume\u00e5 and V\u00e4sterbotten served as a breeding ground for influential Swedish choreographers. The aforementioned Hagar Malin Hellkvist Sell\u00e9n is one of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What was missing back then was a professional platform and continuity in the dance offerings,” according to \u00c5sa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a newly appointed county dance consultant, she was given her first office at the Norrlands Opera in 1998. Together with then-CEO Lars Tibell, the idea of a dance department began to take shape. Dance is traditionally an important part of opera houses, and in this case, it had the potential to bring something new\u2014and even groundbreaking\u2014to the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After what she describes as \u201ca successful coup\u201d at the Dance Biennial in Stockholm, her dream began to come true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 We handed out a flyer pointing out what a great place Ume\u00e5 would be for the next dance biennial, and on the last day we heard people say, \u201cSee you in Ume\u00e5 in two years!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest is\u2014dare we say\u2014modern dance history. Over the years, Norrlandsoperan has attracted a diverse dance audience. It has been an important partner in the Dansn\u00e4t Sverige network of organizers, where numerous significant works have been co-produced and performed. In addition, the company has created opportunities for artistic development in dance through a series of international collaborative projects. One example is *Dancing in Your Shoes*<\/a>, in which choreographers Sofia S\u00f6derg\u00e5rd and Sindri Runudde* guided volunteers through norm-challenging artistic processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Dancing<\/picture>\n\n\n\n

Participants in the “Dancing in Your Shoes” project during rehearsal. Photo: Samuel Pettersson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This active effort to broaden the stage and open minds is something \u00c5sa S\u00f6derberg wholeheartedly endorses. Through dance, she believes, we can expand our view of beauty and help more people see themselves reflected in it\u2014not least by including a greater variety of body types and perspectives: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 As a taxpayer, you help fund these programs, and that\u2019s why everyone should have the right to say at some point: \u201cThat was me. That was my life and my body that I saw on stage.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Text: Hanna Kangassalo

* We\u2019d like to extend our warmest congratulations to Sindri Runudde, who has been named the 2024 Cullberg Fellow by the Swedish Arts Council! Sindri\u2019s work , *Cosmetic Demons*<\/a>, kicked off the fall dance season at the Norrlandsoperan. Check out upcoming dance performances here<\/a> <\/em>!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the 1990s, dance performances were a rare sight on stages in V\u00e4sterbotten. Today, Ume\u00e5 is considered one of Sweden\u2019s epicenters of dance. How did that happen? \u00c5sa S\u00f6derberg recounts the \u201ccoup\u201d that opened the first door to the world of dance. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":7143,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"blog_color_primary":"","blog_color_secondary":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-intervjuer-en"],"yoast_head":"\nHow the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History - Norrlandsoperan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History - Norrlandsoperan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the 1990s, dance performances were a rare sight on stages in V\u00e4sterbotten. Today, Ume\u00e5 is considered one of Sweden\u2019s epicenters of dance. How did that happen? \u00c5sa S\u00f6derberg recounts the \u201ccoup\u201d that opened the first door to the world of dance.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Norrlandsoperan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-18T12:59:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T11:09:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"867\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Susanne Aschan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Susanne Aschan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Susanne Aschan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/621e9501d58323c08bdb7662a140d958\"},\"headline\":\"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-18T12:59:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-03T11:09:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":646,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Intervjuer\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/\",\"name\":\"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History - Norrlandsoperan\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-18T12:59:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-03T11:09:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/621e9501d58323c08bdb7662a140d958\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg\",\"width\":1300,\"height\":867,\"caption\":\"Cosmetic demons: a choreographic salon av Sindri Runudde\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/home\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Norrlandsoperan\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/621e9501d58323c08bdb7662a140d958\",\"name\":\"Susanne Aschan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c2c55379c8546b273eaf0eb3642b842008de889fbe1ed84deb870eba7c6c7ddc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c2c55379c8546b273eaf0eb3642b842008de889fbe1ed84deb870eba7c6c7ddc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c2c55379c8546b273eaf0eb3642b842008de889fbe1ed84deb870eba7c6c7ddc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Susanne Aschan\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History - Norrlandsoperan","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History - Norrlandsoperan","og_description":"In the 1990s, dance performances were a rare sight on stages in V\u00e4sterbotten. Today, Ume\u00e5 is considered one of Sweden\u2019s epicenters of dance. How did that happen? \u00c5sa S\u00f6derberg recounts the \u201ccoup\u201d that opened the first door to the world of dance.","og_url":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/","og_site_name":"Norrlandsoperan","article_published_time":"2024-09-18T12:59:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-03T11:09:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1300,"height":867,"url":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Susanne Aschan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Susanne Aschan","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/"},"author":{"name":"Susanne Aschan","@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/621e9501d58323c08bdb7662a140d958"},"headline":"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History","datePublished":"2024-09-18T12:59:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-03T11:09:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/"},"wordCount":646,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg","articleSection":["Intervjuer"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/","url":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/","name":"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History - Norrlandsoperan","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg","datePublished":"2024-09-18T12:59:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-03T11:09:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/621e9501d58323c08bdb7662a140d958"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Cosmetic-demons-a-choreographic-salon-av-Sindri-Runudde.jpg","width":1300,"height":867,"caption":"Cosmetic demons: a choreographic salon av Sindri Runudde"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/how-the-norrlands-opera-made-dance-history\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How the Norrlands Opera Made Dance History"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/","name":"Norrlandsoperan","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/621e9501d58323c08bdb7662a140d958","name":"Susanne Aschan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c2c55379c8546b273eaf0eb3642b842008de889fbe1ed84deb870eba7c6c7ddc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c2c55379c8546b273eaf0eb3642b842008de889fbe1ed84deb870eba7c6c7ddc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c2c55379c8546b273eaf0eb3642b842008de889fbe1ed84deb870eba7c6c7ddc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Susanne Aschan"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22007"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22017,"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22007\/revisions\/22017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}