Dansbygg Syd pitch photo Carl Johan Folkesson Karlidag

For freelance dance artists

We're Reinventing Skånes Dansteater

In November 2025, Skånes Dansteater opens a major extension to our building, bringing new spaces and an expanded mission. We're creating opportunities for freelance dance artists locally, nationally, and internationally to access our resources, share our spaces, and meet our communities.

 

Our vision

To create a welcoming space where artistic development, innovation, internationally acknowledged collaboration, and community meet through dance and bring deeper understanding of and to the world we all share. 

 

Our Expanded Remit

Through extensive discussions with stakeholders, communities, choreographers, and the freelance sector, we've identified key areas where SDT can support the wider dance ecology, alongside the continuing work of the company such as productions, touring and our Dialog work. These include:

  • Supporting the freelance dance sector locally, nationally, and internationally
  • Building on our work supporting the professionalisation of disabled and Deaf artists
  • Creating opportunities for those usually excluded from dance
  • Supporting diverse dance styles in the city to flourish and grow
  • Facilitating integration with other art forms

This will look like:

  • Artist residencies (building on EBA and Viaductus partnerships)
  • Guest performances from touring artists
  • Talks and in-conversation with artists
  • Festival programming
  • Workshops and classes (including dance school evening classes, Dance for Parkinson's)
  • Community productions and social events programming
  • Special events (e.g., weekend social dance festivals)

 

2026: A Year of Transition and Testing

We're launching softly in 2026 as we navigate and test new ways of working. This transition year allows us to experiment with how the company, the spaces, the freelance sector, and communities can work together – sharing resources including staff hours, the building, our knowledge, and our reach into Malmö and the wider region.

We'll be learning, adapting, and refining how we can best serve freelance artists and the communities we work with. 

 

Our Spaces

The extension provides significant new resources for artistic work:

  • Studios: New studio space in addition to our existing facilities, available for rehearsal and development
  • Varvscenen: 250-seat theatre and performance venue for fully staged productions
  • Bågscenen: 150-seat flexible black-box space for experimental and intimate performances and production periods
  • Meeting Spaces: Dedicated areas for talks, and gatherings
  • Expanded Foyer & Café: Social spaces for community building and informal exchange

 

Opportunities for Freelance Artists

We are inviting freelance artists to contact us regarding different types of residencies – Studio based or technical, performances and other types of activities and creative ideas. There is currently no funding available to support activities, but we are looking to share the resources we have such as in-kind studio time, technical support (when available), marketing and comms, access to costume and wardrobe for example. 

The following are how we imagine these to look like but are not limited to:

Studio Residencies

  • Access to studio space for artistic development
  • Around one or two weeks in length
  • No fees, accommodation, or travel support (self-funded)
  • Public outcome required (open rehearsal, workshop, talk, etc.)
  • Opportunity to connect with our communities to test ideas

Technical Residencies

•    Limited technical residencies with our in-house tech team
•    Option to bring your own tech team using our facilities
•    Access to equipment and performance spaces
•    Public sharing component required

Guest Performances

•    Programming in both Varvscenen (250) and Bågscenen (150)
•    Support for diverse presentation formats
•    Immersive and participatory work welcome
•    Co-production opportunities possible

Special events

  • Weekend social dance festivals
  • Research weekend
  • Dance, club and DJ nights

 

How to Apply

In this first year, we're taking a light-touch, informal approach to working with artists. We're interested in hearing from artists whose projects and ideas could be supported through collaboration with SDT. We'll be curating as we go, responding to the ideas you bring and matching them with the resources we have available. We want to hear what you are working on or planning to work on and how we can best help to do this. 

What to Send 

Please email us with the following information, keeping it as concise as possible:

  1. Project ideas – What are you working on?
  2. Biography and CV – Tell us about yourself
  3. Current stage of your project – Where are you in the development process?
  4. Team information – Number of dancers, composers, collaborators, etc.
  5. Support needed – What non-financial resources would help? (e.g., studio space, technical support, access to performance venues). What do you already have in place?
  6. Ideal dates – When are you hoping to work?
  7. Relevant links – Past works and any materials related to the proposed project

Next Steps and email addresses

We'll follow up to arrange a further discussion.

Mira Helenius Martinsson, CEO and artistic leader
mira.helenius@skanesdansteater.se

Gwyn Emberton, project leader Dialog
gwyn.emberton@skanesdansteater.se