Panel Discussion: collaboration between dance venues and the independent field

What is the position of international guest venues and presenters in the current economic and political situation? What are the possibilities for collaboration between the dance venues and the independent scene and what does this collaboration require from the artists or their organisations? What does the international activity of the freelancer field look like now and in the future - what could we and should we do better or differently?

These are some of the questions the panelists will talk about both from a Nordic and European and a Finnish perspective.

Panelists: Walter Heun (Joint Adventures, Germany), Stine Nilsen (Dansens Hus, Norway), Valtteri Raekallio (Helsinki City Theatre)

The discussion is moderated by Virve Sutinen (Ars Navitas).

After the panel discussion you are welcome to stay and mingle in the lobby of Dance House Helsinki.

Panelists

Walter Heun

Joint Adventures, Saksa

Walter Heun has been active since 1984 as a curator, initiator, producer, and cultural manager in the fields of contemporary dance and performance. In 1990, he founded the production company JOINT ADVENTURES, through which he has organized events such as the TANZWERKSTATT EUROPA in Munich.

As a co-founder of TANZPLATTFORM DEUTSCHLAND, he served as its main organizer in 1998 and 2020. With the NATIONAL PERFORMANCE NETZ (NPN), Heun established a model for the promotion and (inter)national dissemination of contemporary dance and theater.

From 1999 to 2004, he served as artistic director of luzerntanz, the choreographic center at the Lucerne Theater, and from 2009 to 2017 as artistic director of Tanzquartier Wien.

Since its founding, he has been the first chairman of Bayerischer Landesverband für zeitgenössischen Tanz as well as of SK3—the Standing Conference for Art & Culture in Bavaria.

On the international level, Heun was active from 1988 to 2024 as a member of IETM, Europe’s largest network in the field of the performing arts—serving on its Executive Committee from 1990 to 1994. He is a co-founder of the EUROPEAN DANCEHOUSE NETWORK, which he led as president from 2015 to 2017.

Photo: Susie Knoll
 

Stine Nilsen

Dansens Hus, Norja

Stine Nilsen trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Movement and Dance in London and worked as a freelance dancer and teacher in London 1998-2007. She was Artistic Co-Director of Candoco Dance Company

2007-2017, responsible for the artistic vision and commissioning of new works that were pushing the boundaries of what dance is and who can dance.

In 2017 Stine Nilsen took over as CEO and Artistic Director of CODA Oslo International Dance Festival, one of the largest contemporary dance festivals in the Nordic countries.

From August 2024 Stine has been Artistic Director and CEO of Dansens Hus, Oslo, the national venue for dance in Norway.

Photo: Tale Hendnes
 

Valtteri Raekallio

Helsinki City Theatre

Valtteri Raekallio is one of the most prominent Finnish choreographers of his generation. He currently serves as the Artistic Director of Helsinki Dance Company at Helsinki City Theatre.

Raekallio’s artistic work explores the intersections of multiple art forms. His choreographic practice spans immersive and site-specific performances, contemporary dance, opera, theatre productions, and film projects. He creates bold and distinctive works that combine complex narratives and themes with striking visual imagery and meticulously crafted movement.

As a dancer, Raekallio has collaborated with leading international and Finnish choreographers and directors in nearly 100 productions across 40 countries.

He has received numerous awards and grants, including a five-year Finnish State Artist Grant, two three-year grants from the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the City of Helsinki Artist of the Year Award, and the Uusimaa Cultural Prize. In 2019, Finland’s Minister of Science and Culture awarded the Finland Prize to Raekallio Corp., recognizing the company’s outstanding contribution to the arts.

Photo: Noora Geagea

Virve Sutinen

Ars Navitas

Virve Sutisella has extensive experience in the performing arts, including serving as Artistic Director of the Tanz im August festival and Dansens Hus, as well as overseeing the performing arts programme at Kiasma Theatre.

Sutinen has held several prominent international positions of trust and has been involved in founding international networks and initiatives such as EDN, ICE HOT Nordic Dance Platform and Big Pulse Dance Alliance.

She is currently writing about retrospective practices in contemporary dance and works as a consultant for organisations including the Powerhouse International festival and the Performing Arts Fund NL.

Her latest initiative is Moving in Time – Stories of Dance Makers, a Nordic project launched by Ars Navitas, an association she co-founded with Sanna Rekola. The project documents the tacit knowledge and intangible heritage of the dance field.

Photo: Dajana Lothert
 

The discussion is part of Loisto, a joint project by Zodiak, Cirko and Dance House Helsinki. Loisto acts as a catalyst for the sustainable internationalisation of dance and circus. The project is supported by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.