Cullberg is committed to radical and engaging contemporary dance, bringing choreographers from small ensembles and contexts to large stages and wider audiences.<\/p>\n
As one of Sweden\u2019s most well-known international dance companies we present choreographers from all over the world and produce high quality contemporary dance. We bring international choreographers to Sweden and dance made in Sweden to the world.<\/p>\n
Cullberg will always aspire to take roads less travelled in our pursuit of new ways to present contemporary dance. By daring to remain in the unknown we aim to challenge, expand and get lost in the possibilities of dance.<\/p>\n
As of July 1, 2022 Cullberg is led by artistic director Kristine Slettevold. The company consists of 17 dancers, co-creators in the artistic process with the intention and interest to develop the works continuously. Cullberg is part of the Swedish National Touring Theatre, Riksteatern.<\/p>\n
Cullbergbaletten, today known as Cullberg, is one of Sweden\u2019s most influential dance companies and has, for more than fifty years, been a driving force in modern and contemporary dance \u2014 both in Sweden and internationally.<\/p>\n
The company was founded in 1967 by the choreographer Birgit Cullberg, a pioneer of modern dance in Sweden and internationally. Born in 1908, she first studied literature and theatre but eventually found her artistic home in dance. In the 1930s she studied modern dance with, among others, Kurt Jooss in Germany \u2014 a choreographer known for combining dance with strong narratives and social engagement. This would shape Birgit Cullberg\u2019s entire career.<\/p>\n
She debuted as a choreographer in the 1940s and achieved her major breakthrough with Miss Julie<\/em> (1950), a dance\u2011drama interpretation of August Strindberg\u2019s play. The work garnered international attention and was included in Sweden\u2019s new cultural canon in 2025. It became stylistically defining, with its strong focus on psychology, class, gender, and power \u2014 themes that would reappear throughout her later works. She worked with both classically trained dancers and modern movement vocabularies, making her style both accessible and artistically innovative. Many also encountered her works through television adaptations produced and broadcast by SVT.<\/p>\n During her leadership, Birgit Cullberg invited choreographers such as Merce Cunningham, Flemming Flindt, Eske Holm, Mats Isaksson, Alvin Ailey, and Talley Beatty.<\/p>\n When Cullbergbaletten was founded as part of Riksteatern in 1967, it created a framework for Birgit Cullberg to develop her artistic language together with an ensemble capable of touring throughout Sweden and internationally. Under her direction, the company became known for its dramatic and often politically charged works, where dance served as a mirror of society and the human psyche.<\/p>\n Birgit Cullberg challenged traditional gender roles and narrative structures within dance. Her works were defined by strong symbolism and humanism. Even after formally stepping down as artistic director in the 1980s, she continued to be active as a choreographer and mentor.<\/p>\n In 1981, Birgit Cullberg\u2019s son, Mats Ek, took over as artistic director. With a background in both theatre and dance, he created profoundly original works such as Giselle<\/em>, Swan Lake<\/em>, and Carmen<\/em>, reinterpreting classical ballets through contemporary social perspectives. His choreography was charged with emotional intensity and a physical language capable of expressing everything from inner chaos to everyday absurdity. In Giselle<\/em>, for instance, princes could become medical staff, heroines could be portrayed as mentally ill, and the royal court transformed into a care facility \u2014 breaking with traditional ideals and bringing ballet closer to lived reality.<\/p>\n Under Mats Ek\u2019s leadership, Cullbergbaletten became one of the most respected contemporary dance companies in the world. His works were not only technically innovative but deeply emotional and often political. He merged drama, dance, and the complexities of human experience in ways that made his pieces accessible to broad audiences without compromising artistic depth. This was also a period during which Ek solidified his choreographic voice.<\/p>\n During his tenure, the company also performed works by choreographers such as Ji\u0159\u00ed Kyli\u00e1n, Christopher Bruce, and Ohad Naharin. Cullbergbaletten collaborated with Per Jonsson, Nacho Duato, Jean Perre Perrault, and Philip Taylor as well. The guiding idea of this era was to bring international choreography to Sweden \u2014 and Swedish choreography to the world.<\/p>\n Mats Ek was succeeded by Carolyn Carlson, born in the United States to Finnish parents. Deeply rooted in the European avant\u2011garde scene, Carlson led Cullbergbaletten from 1993 to 1995. Her tenure was marked by a more poetic and spiritual aesthetic. Carlson introduced improvisation as a working method within the company and created the visually and choreographically ambitious work Sub Rosa<\/em>. Her leadership expanded the company\u2019s choreographic scope.<\/p>\n After Carlson\u2019s departure, Lena Wennergren Juras and Margareta Lidstr\u00f6m jointly took over artistic leadership until 2003. Their period was defined by a balance between tradition and renewal. They worked to maintain the company\u2019s high artistic standards while inviting new choreographers and broadening the repertoire.<\/p>\n During this time, the company continued to tour Mats Ek\u2019s works. Other choreographers who collaborated with Cullbergbaletten during this era include Jens \u00d6stberg, Kenneth Kvarnstr\u00f6m, Stijn Celis, Johan Inger, \u00d6rjan Andersson, Philippe Blanchard, Lars Bethke, and Didi Veldman.<\/p>\n In 2003, Johan Inger, former dancer at Nederlands Dans Theater, became artistic director. With an international career behind him, Inger brought a powerful and emotionally charged choreographic style to the company. His works combined technical virtuosity with strong emotional themes, psychological depth, and visually striking imagery. For Cullberg, he created Negro con Flores<\/em>, Blanco<\/em>, and Point of Eclipse<\/em>, among others, and invited choreographers such as Crystal Pite, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and Alexander Ekman.<\/p>\n Inger modernized the company\u2019s expression without abandoning its identity. His tenure brought new vitality and introduced a more improvisation\u2011based studio practice.<\/p>\n Anna Grip took over in 2009. Previously ballet master and artistic director of \u00d6stg\u00f6tabaletten \u2014 as well as ensemble director at Cullbergbaletten \u2014 she possessed extensive insight into the company\u2019s structure and traditions. Her leadership focused on strategic and structural developments rather than defining signature works. She redefined working methods, collaboration models, and artistic direction.<\/p>\n Grip envisioned Cullberg as a platform for contemporary choreography where multiple voices and methodologies could coexist. She invited both Swedish and international choreographers with diverse backgrounds \u2014 not necessarily well\u2011known names \u2014 broadening the repertoire. She also initiated closer collaborations with visual and performance art institutions, deepening the company\u2019s engagement with contemporary themes and movement research.<\/p>\n Among the choreographers she invited were Beno\u00eet Lachambre, William Forsythe, Jefta van Dinther, \u00c9douard Lock, Stina Nyberg, and Ina Christel Johannessen.<\/p>\n In 2014, Gabriel Smeets \u2014 formerly director of SNDO, the School for New Dance Development at the University of the Arts Amsterdam \u2014 became artistic director of the company, which during his tenure adopted the name Cullberg. His leadership represented a shift toward a more curatorial model. He invited internationally influential choreographers such as Deborah Hay, Trajal Harrell, Margr\u00e9t Sara Gu\u00f0j\u00f3nsd\u00f3ttir, and Ian Kaler. Smeets emphasized long\u2011term collaborations and artistic depth rather than short guest projects and initiated a three\u2011year program with three resident choreographers: Alma S\u00f6derberg, Jefta van Dinther, and Deborah Hay.<\/p>\n Smeets viewed Cullberg as a laboratory for contemporary dance \u2014 a place where artistic research and boundary\u2011crossing exploration were central. His leadership placed Cullberg at the forefront of European contemporary dance and strengthened its identity as a dynamic, open, and concept\u2011driven institution.<\/p>\n For more than five decades, Cullberg has evolved through distinct artistic eras \u2014 from Birgit Cullberg\u2019s dance\u2011drama, through Mats Ek\u2019s psychological reinterpretations, Carolyn Carlson\u2019s poetic philosophy, and onward to a company shaped by emotional resonance and curiosity about the art form. Today, under the leadership of Kristine Slettevold, Cullberg continues to be a home for innovative choreography and artistic exploration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kristine Slettevold 2022- Cullberg collaborates with producers in Sweden and internationally who make it possible for the company to tour extensively and meet large audiences. In recent years, the company has co\u2011produced works with, among others, HAU\/Tanz im August (Germany), PACT Zollverein (Germany), Gessnerallee (Switzerland), Kaserne (Switzerland), and Arsenic \u2013 Centre d\u2019art sc\u00e9nique contemporain (Switzerland). For many years, Cullberg has also maintained close partnerships with Dansens Hus and Parkteatern\/Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm.<\/span><\/p>\n Through Cullberg\u2019s international internship programs and research collaborations, the company takes responsibility for bridging a dancer\u2019s education, professional life, and the development of the art form. Close partnerships are established with SKH (Sweden), P.A.R.T.S. (Belgium), KHiO (Norway), SEAD (Austria), The Danish National School of Performing Arts (Denmark), University of the Arts Amsterdam (Netherlands), Fontys Academy of the Arts Tilburg (Netherlands), and Balettakademien (Sweden). Since 2021, Cullberg has also participated in Erasmus, the European exchange program for students.<\/p>\n In recent years, Cullberg\u2019s works have been presented at, among others: B\u00e6rum Kulturhus (Norway), BIT Teatergarasjen (Norway), Dansens Hus (Norway), Festival Antigel (Switzerland), Inkonst (Sweden), Mercat de les Flors (Spain), Milanoltre Festival (Italy), Montpellier Danse (France), Next Festival (Belgium), Norrlandsoperan (Sweden), Side Step Festival (Finland), Stora Teatern (Sweden), STUK Arts Center vzw (Belgium), Tanzquartier (Austria), Teatro Central (Spain), Teatro Municipal do Porto (Portugal), Texas Performing Arts (USA), and The Joyce (USA).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cullberg has been a part of Riksteatern, The Swedish National Touring Theatre, since the start 1967 and collaborates closely with its Dance Department established in 2015.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cullberg is committed to radical and engaging contemporary dance, bringing choreographers from small ensembles and contexts to large stages and wider audiences. As one of Sweden\u2019s most well-known international dance companies we present choreographers from all over the world and produce high quality contemporary dance. We bring international choreographers to Sweden and dance made in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":15491,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-353","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17415,"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/353\/revisions\/17415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Mats Ek \u2013 Psychological Drama and International Breakthrough (1981\u20131993)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Carolyn Carlson \u2013 Poetic and Experimental Direction (1993\u20131995)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Lena Wennergren Juras & Margareta Lidstr\u00f6m \u2013 Preservation and Renewal (1995\u20132003)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Johan Inger \u2013 Physical Expression and Humor (2003\u20132008)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Anna Grip \u2013 Structural Transformation (2009\u20132013)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Gabriel Smeets \u2013 Curatorial Leadership and Artistic Openness (2014\u20132021)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Looking Forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Cullberg\u2019s artistic directors:<\/h3>\n
\nGabriel Smeets 2014-2022
\nAnna Grip (acting from 2008) 2009-2013
\nJohan Inger 2003-2008
\nLena Wennergren Juras\/Margareta Lidstr\u00f6m 1995-2003
\nCarolyn Carlson 1993-1995
\nMats Ek 1981-1993
\nBirgit Cullberg 1967-1981<\/p>\nPartners<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Relation to Riksteatern<\/strong><\/h2>\n