Author: Dag Rosenqvist

It has now already been a week since the festival ended with a magnificent party at Ale Kulturrum.

We are so incredibly happy for the fantastic response we have received and the wonderful energy that has been spread from everyone involved. Without you all it would not have been possible! Now we’re putting away all the roll-ups, balloons and other merchandise for this time and look forward to the next festival.

A big thank you to all children, young people and adults who have been involved and put a sparkle on Step 2022! See you again in 2024.

Friday 25 March at 18.00, the Step 2022 festival ends at Ale Teater and you are warmly welcome to a festive evening!

The program consists of local elements such as the samba orchestra La Bateria from A Bunda in Gothenburg and the performance Adventures in Planet Love with the Belgian dance company Jordi L. Vidal Company. There will be a mingle afterwards, so the party will continue also after the program!

Adventures in Planet Love explores the diversity of romantic encounters in order to bring to light our own prejudices. But how do we overcome these prejudices and build bridges to other people? In the end it’s about finding a better way of living together.

Time: 18.00 with doors at 17.45
Location: Ale Kulturrum, Vitklövergatan 1, Nödinge

Ticket can be found here!

The festival is now in its third week and dance has been presented around the region for children and youth! The dance month with Step is soon in its last week and a festive end awaits.

On Thursday 17 March, two school performances of Vind, blås mig! by Big Wind, will be shown at Världskulturmuseet.

The festival’s remaining public performances
An Encounter by Jordi L. Vidal Company
Saturday 19 March at 12.00, stage by the café, at Mölnlycke Kulturhus. Free entrance!
Monday 21 March at 19.00, Dergårdsteatern in Lerum. Tickets can be found here.

Adventures in Planet Love by Jordi L. Vidal Company
Tuesday 22 March at 19.00, Floda Lada, in Floda. Tickets can be found here.
Friday 25 March at 18.00 Ale Kulturrum, in Ale (grand finale of Step). Tickets can be found here.

Friday 25 March, Step closes at Ale Kulturrum and you are warmly welcome! The program consists of local performances, closing mingle and the dance performance Adventures in Planet Love!
Time: 18.00 (entrance 17.45)
Location: Ale Kulturrum, Vitklövergatan 1, Nödinge

There are spring feelings in the air, and we are now in the second festival week!

This week Danish company Aaben Dans plays their performance Hvad er det? at Folkets hus, in Vänersborg. They will also play a public performance at Folkets hus, on Thursday the 11 at 4.30 pm. On Saturday 12 March, Aaben Dans continues their tour to Borås and has a public performance at Regionteater Väst at 13.00. Hvad er det? then visits Frölunda Kulturhus where they play a public performance at 14.00 on Sunday 13 March. On Tuesday 15 March, they will play school performances at Kulturhuset Vingen in Torslanda. Tickets and dates for all venues can be found on our website.

In Gothenburg, Kvinnostaden is played by Kompani Catapult on Järntorget, on Saturday at 15.00. It’s also the only time they play during the festival, so do not miss this! Free admission – keep an eye out around the square for red clothes.

On Monday 14 March, you who are a dancer and over 18 years old, can participate in an exclusive dance workshop led by the choreographer and dancer Jordi L. Vidal! A free dance and physical theater improvisation and composition workshop. Read more about the workshop here.

Time: 18:00-20:00
Location: Ale Kulturrum

Register here!

Jordi L.Vidal Company will play the performances An Encounter and Adventures in planet from next week, check out our website to see all the dates and venues! Next week, the company will play at Ale Kulturrum and Göteborgs stadsbibliotek.

The festival is now in full swing and several performances have been played and moved its audience, all around the region. Now we want to present an addition in the further selection of the festival program called Step Extended! Step Extended is our initiative to showcase both dance companies and innovative dance projects from Region Västra Götaland. It is also an addition to the festival’s curated program.

We are therefore now proudly welcoming Kvinnostaden by Kompani Catapult to Step 2022! Kvinnostaden is playing Saturday 12 March at 15.00, at Järntorget in Gothenburg. Look out for dancers in red clothes at Järntorget – hope to see you there!

About Kvinnostaden
Kvinnostaden is a movable dance performance where Kompani Catapult paints the city with their dancing. Where the city statues are embodied and tell their own story. Some see the entire performance, some discover it along the journey and stay until the end, while others only encounter the dancers for a brief moment.

Read more about the performance here!

About Kompani Catapult
Kompani Catapult is based on feministic and democratic values and explore a way of working without an artistic leader but with a shared artistic direction. They strive to tell socially relevant stories that can be both touching and provocative at the same time.

Read more about the company here!

Welcome to experience the performance Frock by English dance company Stopgap, in the middle of the crowd of Nordstan on Friday the 4th of March at 16.00!

In Frock, six striking dancers collide in an uplifting dance riot! In this quirky dance performance, playful observations of the yesteryears explode into a punkish celebration of individuality and difference. Read more about the performance and show dates here.

Hope to see you!

Now it’s really not far off until the festival starts. We hope that you are ready for a month filled with dance and that we finally can experience it together!

Below you will find some more of the public performances taking place during the festival. But not that we have your attention, we’d also like to once again direct your attention towards the Step professional’s program. Do you work in the cultural sector and are curious about taking part of interesting talks, experience and discuss dance for young audiences? Then register to the professional’s program 2-5 of March. href=”https://www.stepfestival.se/en/branschprogram/#registration”>Click here to register!

But here then are more public performances, ready to be booked in your calendar.

Thursday the 3rd of March at 18.30-19.15
Freestyle Sensation by Freeetsyle Phanatix, Ale Kulturrum
Tickets cost from 90 kr and upwards and can be booked here!

Friday the 4th of March at 16.00-16.30
Frock by Stopgap, Nordstan in Gothenburg
Free entrance!

Friday the 12th of March at 13.00-13.45
Hvad er det? by Aaben Dans, Regionteater Väst in Borås
Free admission. Book your tickets at +46 33-35 35 05

Monday the 21th of March at 19.00-19.30
An Encounter by Jordi L. Vidal Company, Dergårdsteatern in Lerum
Tickets cost from 75 kr and upwards and can be booked here!

Friday the 25th of March at 18.00-18.30
Adventures in planet love by Jordi L.Vidal Company at Ale Kulturrum
Tickets cost from 90 kr and upwards and can be booked here!

Visit the page Program to see more events during the festival!

Finally, we can announce that the grand opening of the festival is going to take place at Mölnlycke Kulturhus, Wednesday the 2nd of March at 18.00! The culture house transforms into an exuberant banquet hall with welcoming music, balloons, and a bubbly festival atmosphere!

In the salon, the audience is being welcomed by among others, the director of cultural affairs in Västra Götalandsregionen, Katti Hoflin. Then awaits the premiere of the sparkling performance Freestyle Sensation by the Scandinavian company Freestyle Phanatix. A powerful performance that mixes breakdance, rap, beatboxing and street dance, framed in a spectacular scenery. A meeting between styles and expressions where tradition meet present times!

Book a seat now for so you don’t miss this fantastic evening!
Tickets are available here.

Aren’t you also longing to see some dance! It is now only one month left, and we are starting to get the festival tingle! The program for all the events during the festival is being added to the website on a daily basis and we are now presenting the first public performances that are available for booking. Keep an eye out for upcoming releases during the coming weeks! Below is a compiled list of what is available to book right now.

Wednesday 2nd of March at 18.00-19.30
Freestyle Sensation by Freestyle Phanatix presented in connection with the festival’s grand opening at Mölnlycke Kulturhus in Mölnlycke.
Tickets cost from 50 kr and upwards and can be booked here!

Friday 4th of March, 19.00-19.45
Jakob by Tony Tran Company, at Dergårdsteatern in Lerum.
Tickets cost from 75 kr and upwards and can be booked here!

Saturday 5th of March at 12.00-45
Motsatser by Embla dans & teater, Olof Palmes plats in Gothenburg.
Free of charge!

Sunday 6th of March at 14.00-14.45
Jakob by Tony Tran, Kulturhuset Kåken in Gothenburg.
Complimentary tickets can be booked here!

Saturday 13th of March at 14.00-14.40
Hvad er det? by Aaben Dans, Frölunda Kulturhus in Gothenburg.
Tickets cost 80 kr and can be booked here!

Saturday 19th of March at 12.00-12.25
An Encounter by Jordi L. Vidal Company, Mölnlycke Kulturhus in Mölnlycke.
Free of charge!

Visit the page Program to see more events during the festival!

We are now shifting focus to the part of the festival that is locally based and with this, present to you the performances Motsatser by Embla dans & teater and Vind, blås mig! by Big Wind.

”We are very excited to be a part of Step and also to take part of the other offerings of the festival. I am looking forward to see the dancers start the performance, hopefully in a springy Olof Palmes plats to after that join the audience at Folkteatern.” – Mia Kjellqvist, producer at Embla dans & teater.

Motsatser has been made possible to be performed outdoors and in any weather. For example, it will be performed in connection to the professionals’ program 2-5 of March. Vind, blås mig! is an entirely new performance where the audience is invited to an interactive experience.

”We have met many fine students at the Compulsory schools for pupils with learning disabilities, in Gothenburg, Mölnlycke and Vara which has taught us a lot in the work of the performance. We are happy and proud to be a part of Step. A festival and a performance where everyone is both welcome and expected!2 – Matilda Magnusson, producer of the performance Vind, blås mig!

Motsatser
Motsatser is a playful performance where two dancers, on their way to the preschool, explore the notion of opposites. During their journey they encounter a multitude of opposites of various kinds, and it turns out that the path itself is more important than the goal. In all weathers and in a playful and humorous way, the many sides of opposite behaviors are explored. We get to experience a world that is not just black or white but where life is trickier than that.

Read more about Motsatser here.

Vind, blås mig!
In Vind, blås mig! you’ll meet love, magic and forces of nature. One musician and three dancers guide the children on an interactive journey, portraying forceful characters and big emotions. The performance is loosely inspired by William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and is told through dance, song and poetry. The audience is taken out on the thunderous sea, into the mystic forest, to Caliban’s Garden and much more.

Read more about Vind, blås mig! here.