Nordic regional (net)working

Nordic regional (net)working is a network initiated in 2022 by the Regional Dance Centre in Ostrobothnia, Danscentrum Norr (SE) and Dans I Västerbotten (SE). In 2025, the network expanded to Norway when Davvi – Senter for Scenekunst from Hammerfest joined the new project plans. The ambition is to create a platform for the exchange of experiences and collaboration — between us as organisations as well as between our members and target groups: freelance dance artists, choreographers, and dance educators working in our respective regions. One of the early goals was to develop residency activities between dance organisations and artists outside densely populated regions in the Nordics.

The focus was on finding new formats and methods for organising residencies, based on the needs of the artists — to better support artistic processes, promote a more sustainable working environment, and strengthen collegial networks across borders.

Activities within the network

Network meetings

The network was initiated by gathering the collaborating organisations, focusing on creating connections between our members and target groups. The aim was to share professional knowledge, open up new opportunities for work and collaboration, and discuss possible future models for residency activities. In practice, two exchange trips were organised for professional dance practitioners across the Kvarken Strait — first from Umeå to Vaasa in September 2022, and then from Vaasa to Umeå in January 2023. The exchanges were funded by the Nordic Culture Fund’s Opstart programme.

Exchange: Dance Lab North 2023

In the fall of 2023, two dance artists from Vaasa, members of the dance centre, participated in Danscentrum Norr’s annual workshop week Dance Lab North. One of them also led a workshop. Additionally, another member from Vaasa, together with the centre’s managing director, visited Umeå to attend the open presentation that concluded the week. The network’s partner organisations and representatives from the independent dance field also gathered for a creative meeting to discuss the network’s future. Many ideas emerged, including possible formats for a residency exchange in 2024. This exchange was funded by Umeå municipality’s ‘Kultur över Kvarken’ support programme and the Twin Town Fund by Vaasa city.

Residency exchanges 2024–2025

A Finnish artist duo, Janne Aspvik and Markku Essel, spent two weeks in Umeå in November 2024 to develop their project Liminal Spaces and connect with the local dance scene through workshops, an open rehearsal, and public showings. Umeå-based artist Marit-Shirin Carolasdotter completed a two-week studio residency in Vaasa in November 2024 and returned in March 2025 with her artistic team for a follow-up period. In the same month, another Swedish duo, Kajza and Anna Rauhala, also worked in Vaasa and the Ostrobothnia region. On the return ferry between Vaasa and Umeå, the travel was joined by the second Finnish artist duo, Kati Raatikainen and Elina Hauta-aho, who then spent their artist residency in Umeå working on their project 10 000 spins both in the dance studio of Balettakademien and at the Museum of Women's History.

The residency periods of the Swedish artists culminated in performances during the event week Ostrobothnia Dances, organized by the Regional Dance Centre of Ostrobothnia. The week also offered a diverse programme of workshops. Thanks to project funding covering travel and accommodation costs, the network was also able to invite a group of dance professionals from northern Sweden to Vaasa for further training, networking opportunities, and to attend Swedish choreographer Maria Nilsson Waller’s performance of the work Praying Positions/Metamorphosis.

Coming soon: Residency exchanges in 2026

The new project led by the network consists of six residency periods, organized in collaboration with the partners: in Ostrobothnia, Finland, hosted by the Regional Dance Centre of Ostrobothnia; at Davvi – Senter for Scenekunst in Northern Norway; and in Västerbotten County, Sweden, in collaboration with Danscentrum Norr and Dans i Västerbotten. More information coming soon!