Tone Kittelsen is from Kristiansand and works as a freelance dance artist and choreographer. Kittelsen produces and creates her own performances. She has produced several projects that have been presented at venues such as Kristiansand Kunsthall, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, the National Museum, Dansens Hus, and Bærum Kulturhus. Her work is characterized by a deep exploration of movement, the body’s potential, and the emotional landscapes that dance can create. Her work explores spontaneity and the performer’s potential in the moment.

She has performed in other artists' works both nationally and internationally.

She has been employed as a dancer at the Norwegian Opera and Ballet in Bjørvika, Oslo, for two separate periods. There, she performed the role of the Czardas Princess in a production directed by Hanne Tømta and choreographed by Jonas Øren.

In 2018, Kittelsen founded the company Husby/Kittelsen, which produces performing arts for children and young people. They have produced two shows: *SvisjSvosj* and *VirrVarr*, which recently premiered at DansiT in Trondheim.

In recent years, she has collaborated closely with Tori Wrånes and toured nationally and internationally as part of her team. She has performed in works such as *Sirkling*, *Ældgammel Baby*, *Naam Yai*, *Lips Don’t Cry*, and *Garden of Lefthand*. From 2020 to 2023, she was the recipient of the Norwegian Government’s Artist Grant for emerging artists.

Kittelsen has been a recipient of the Norwegian Government’s Artist Grant for three years and, in 2025, was awarded the Norwegian Dance Artists’ Professional Grant, which is given to one dancer each year. In 2026, she is the ambassador for Dansens dager, a title awarded by Danseinformasjonen.

In the coming year, she will be working on the creative process for her new production in collaboration with costume designer Hannah Oellinger in Vienna, performing in *Sanseporten* by Spine Fiction, and participating in the premiere and tour of the children’s production *VirrVarr* by Husby/Kittelsen.

Irene Vesterhus Theisen (b. 1987, Kristiansand) is a dancer and curator based in Kristiansand. She trained at the Copenhagen Contemporary Dance School and holds a bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (2010). Her practice ranges from performance to collective curation and community building in Southern Norway.

Irene has extensive experience as a performer, including over ten years as a company dancer with Carte Blanche National Contemporary Dance Company (2013–2026). With Carte Blanche, she has been part of the original cast in 17 productions, in addition to several revivals. As a dancer with the company, she has collaborated with both Norwegian and international choreographers, including Hooman Sharifi, Lia Rodriguez, Jan Martens, François Chaignaud, and Bouchra Ouizgen. Other defining collaborations include work with choreographers such as Harald Beharie, Ole Martin Meland, and Kristin Helgebostad—and as an enthusiastic member of the handbell band Ula Metall. As a creator, she has a deep interest in performance, which is her stated primary focus. Irene has also initiated her own works, such as the award-winning group piece *We Come in Peace* by Floen/Helgebostad/Theisen/Johannesdottir/Lauvdal, and has choreographed for theater institutions such as Kilden and Den Nasjonale Scene in Bergen.

As a curator, she has fifteen years of experience as a co-founder of Ravnedans. She has also organized two guest performance series in Kristiansand with the curatorial duo theisen/pettersen and served as co-curator for Ice Hot alongside Samme Raymakers. She is currently a member of the artistic council for Dansens Hus, led by Stine Nilsen. Irene has organizational and leadership experience as chair of the board during the establishment of Scenekunst Sør, a center of excellence for the performing arts, and as co-founder of Ravnedans, overseeing the festival’s operations for 15 years. Furthermore, she has served as a board member of Carte Blanche, a committee member of the Norwegian Cultural Council, and on the nomination committee for organizations including Norwegian Dance Artists and Dansens Hus.

In the summer of 2025, she moved back to Kristiansand to re-establish herself as a freelancer, based in her hometown. She is currently performing as a dancer in Harald Beharie’s Sweet Spot on tour to cities including Stockholm, Lausanne, Trondheim, Sandnes, Helsinki, Bergen, Utrecht, and Marseille in 2026. She is also performing as a dancer in Ole Martine Maland’s JEG BRAKK on tour and in his new production, Sju figurer blir syke om, which premieres at Oktoberdans this fall. She is also working on her own project, VI DANSER / Villvekster, in collaboration with dancers from Southern Norway. Irene is a recipient of the Norwegian Government’s Work Grant for the period 2026–2029 and has been nominated for the 2026 Hedda Award for Best Stage Performance in Dance. 

Julie Rasmussen (b. 1989, Kristiansand) is a choreographer, dancer, festival organizer, curator, and producer based in Copenhagen and Kristiansand. She trained at the National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen and the Amsterdam School of the Arts in the Netherlands, and works both on her own productions and in collaboration with others—as a choreographer, performer, and artistic collaborator.

She is the artistic director and choreographer of the newly established dance company SPINE FICTION, founded together with My Nilsson. This year, they have two new premieres: AMYGDALA, premiering at Dansehallerne in Copenhagen on June 13, and SANSEPORTEN, which premieres at Kilden on September 22, followed by a tour in Agder and later a Nordic tour.

Since 2009, Rasmussen has been one of the driving forces behind the Ravnedans dance festival in Kristiansand, where she has gained extensive experience over more than 17 years in curating, producing, and organizing festivals. She has also created several performances in Kristiansand that have subsequently toured internationally, and has collaborated with Kilden as a guest choreographer and dancer on multiple occasions.

She is a co-founder and artistic director of the artist collective NORDLYS, which has been producing performances and traveling festivals in the Nordic countries and the Philippines since 2014. The collective has toured internationally with performances for both children and adults. She also founded the dance collective The Meatlump, which has produced two full-length performances that premiered in both Kristiansand and Copenhagen, including a Danish premiere at the Royal Danish Theatre. The film THE MEATLUMP – THE MOVIE has received several awards, including in Greece, Mexico, and Norway.

Over the past ten years, she has developed the physical practice known as Golden Joint, which she has taught and shared with professional dancers, dance companies, and amateurs, both as a standalone method and as an integral part of her artistic work.

She has received working grants from the Norwegian Cultural Council on two occasions, as well as from the Danish Arts Foundation. In addition, she has received talent awards from Agder County and the City of Kristiansand, as well as the Medal of Honor in the form of buttons and glossy photos from the Norwegian Dance Artists Association for her work with Ravnedans.

Julie Rasmussen has also served as a guest curator for the children’s and youth festival SWOP, which is affiliated with Åben Dans in Roskilde (DK). Through her work as a freelance dance artist for more than 17 years, Julie Rasmussen has developed extensive expertise as an artistic director, producer, and curator, as well as a significant artistic range as a choreographer and dancer.