Cullberg’s artistic director Gabriel Smeets to leave the company
Artistic director Gabriel Smeets will leave Cullberg at the turn of the year 2022. During his years at the position, Smeets has anchored the dance company in a contemporary aesthetic.
”When I came to Cullberg my assignment was to establish the company as the leading contemporary dance company in Sweden. I think we have achieved that goal. It is a stable and brave institution, an avantgarde company eversince the beginning. Today we explore ideas on how dance can be defined, produced and presented, and we work closely with experimental artists in the freelance field. For me it has been important that the dancers and choreographers we work with have lust to tap from an infinite variety of sources to create dance, and that they are strongly rooted in the times we are living in. I am very proud of the dancers’ ensemble, in its diversity, engagement and connection to the artistic and socio-political reality we are in”, says Gabriel Smeets.
Gabriel Smeets came to Cullberg in May 2014, from a position as artistic director of SNDO, the School for New Dance Development/University for the Arts in Amsterdam. He has a background in journalism, communication and dramaturgy. As he leaves Cullberg, Gabriel Smeets has deepened and consolidated the artistic direction, and moved the company from a dance theater tradition to a contemporary and experimental one.
”After my eight year long contract with Cullberg I am ready for a new chapter and challenge. I want to return to work as a freelance dramaturge, advisor, and curator”, says Gabriel Smeets.
During his time as artistic director, Gabriel Smeets has, among other things, taken the company on a long US tour, to the Venice Biennale, and to several core festivals for contemporary dance. Smeets has advocated a close relationship with the university and the voice of dance in the academic field. On several levels, Gabriel Smeets has worked to increase the diversity and representation throughout the company.
In 2019, a new working model was initiated, and three contemporary choreographers; Alma Söderberg, Deborah Hay and Jefta van Dinther, were linked to Cullberg as associated artists. At the same time the “ballet” was removed from the company’s name which in short became: ”Cullberg”.
”The model with three choreographers has enabled a continuity for the company, the presenters and the audience, and has been crucial in clarifying the Cullberg company today. Gabriel Smeets’s international network has also been of great importance. Several collaborations with new producers in Europe and the US have been initiated and opened up to new venues, artistic contexts, and large audiences. Gabriel Smeets’ great love for art and dance and his ability to connect it to our time is one of his most characteristic traits. The task for the next artistic director will be to continue managing and develop that work”, says Mia Larsson, head the dance department at the Riksteatern/the Swedish National Touring Theatre.
The recruitment of a new artistic director will begin in February and is expected to be completed in the autumn. Stina Dahlström will continue as managing director.
About Cullberg
Cullberg is the national and international repertoire contemporary dance company in Sweden, continuously co-creating to make cutting edge dance relevant for the many. Together with choreographers from all over the world, we are exploring ideas on how dance can be defined, produced and presented. Those explorations are the pillars of a company that is constantly in motion at the heart of the international arena. 2019-2021, Cullberg works exclusively with three associated artists: Alma Söderberg, Deborah Hay and Jefta van Dinther. The core of the company consists of 17 extraordinary individual dancers with a central role in the creations. Our works emerge from the times we are living in, as part of the socio-political environment including equality, diversity and sustainability. Cullberg is led by artistic director Gabriel Smeets and managing director Stina Dahlström. Cullberg is part of Riksteatern – The Swedish National Touring Theatre.
For further information, please contact:
Erica Espling, Marketing and PR Manager Cullberg
+46 (0)70-602 27 01
erica.espling@cullberg.com