Danskompaniet Spinn is a professional dance company consisting of dancers with and without disabilities.

På bilden ser vi fyra dansare i färgglada träningskläder. Två av dem står lutade mot en gul tegelvägg, de två andra sitter i varsin rullstol. Foto: Malin Johansson

About Us

Who is allowed on stage?
Danskompaniet Spinn is a professional dance company based in Gothenburg, Sweden. We are passionate about the art of dance and about challenging stereotypes regarding what dance is and can be. It is about different bodies and new ways of creating and presenting dance art. With us, everybody is welcome to experience our performances and take part in our workshops. It is not about how many pirouettes you can do, but what you want to express with the pirouette that you do.

Spinn was founded in 2010 by Artistic Director Veera Suvalo Grimberg. We are an international company working with Swedish and international choreographers and composers. We work with people who are interested in an artistic dialogue, and who want to explore and develop both their own as well as our artistic expression. Over the last few years we have created both bigger and smaller productions, in Sweden and internationally. Spinn also gives workshops and lectures where we meet other dance artists, nursery school children, museum curators, personal assistants, politicians, students, dance teachers and many others.

SpinnUnga is our company for people who are still young in terms of dance experience, but who are ready for further challenges and development. Our aim is that dance education and dance as an art form should be available and open to anyone, regardless of disabilitiy. Between 2014 and 2018, the education project SpinnVäxa was run in collaboration with Studieförbundet Bilda and funded by Allmänna Arvsfonden. Since Spring 2018, the work with inclusive dance classes for children, youth and adults is run by Dansutbildningen Språng and the collaboration with Danskompaniet Spinn continues in various forms.

Spinn’s administration, communication and tour coordination is handled by Producentbyrån.

Dancers

Porträttbild av dansaren Emilia Wärff. Emilia har long rött lockigt hår och en senapsgul skjorta. Foto: Polina UlianovaEmilia Wärff

For me, working with Spinn is important because we work in a historic context full of rules and conventions that we all have the ability to break and re-shape.

Emilia has been dancing with Spinn since the start in 2010 and has also created the performance Kurvatur alongside Spinn dancer Malin Rönnerman. Emilia has an MA in Design from Högskolan för design och konsthantverk at the University of Gothenburg. Emilia has also created Spinn’s graphic profile and the printed material for Spinn. Emilia has no formal dance training; as a wheelchair user she has not had access to the dance education available in Sweden. Emilia has been presented with a number of awards for her work and in 2016 she was awarded the Göteborgs stads Kulturstipendium.

My favorite pastry is the Lemon-ring, which is a bitter, tart kind of lemon Mazarin. Juicy inside, with a clear icing, making it both crunchy and crisp. It was one of the classics at my grandmother and grandfather’s bakery in Värnamo in Småland. The scent of freshly baked Lemon-rings on their staircase is something that I’d like to keep in a jar!

Porträttbild av dansaren Hannah Karlsson. Hannah har rakt rött halvlångt hår i sidbena, ring i både örat och näsvingen och en blålila skjorta. Foto: Polina Ulianova

Hannah Karlsson

The work I do with Spinn is both important and natural. It is a space for questioning norms about dance and the very foundation of what the art of dance is, while simultaneously being an obvious space for dance and creation.

Hannah works as a freelancing dancer and choreographer in Gothenburg. Since graduating from the dance education at Balettakademien in Göteborg, she’s had recurring collaborations with Olof Persson and Gun Lund, but has also worked with Eva Ingemarsson, Danskompaniet Spinn, Gunilla Olsson a.o. Along dancer and choreographer Rebecca Evanne, she creates movement works based around norm creativity, but she also choreographs her own work, most recently in collaboration with Konstmuseet in Gothenburg.

My favorite cake is carrot cake. It is simple in its everyday coffee accessory kind of way, but then it has that delicious cream cheese topping which makes it sort of festive. I like the fact that it’s slightly boring, while at the same time trying to be party.

Porträttbild av dansaren Ida Häggström. Ida har blont hår med uppklippt lugg, ringar i båda öronen och en röd t-shirt med en vit munkjacka över. Foto: Polina Ulianova

Ida Häggström

As a dancer in Spinn I get the opportunity to develop and gain more knowledge within dance. I’m curious about a lot of things, and I want to learn more and try out new things.

In 2016, Ida joined SpinnUnga, where she quickly became an influential dancer. In 2019 she became one of the dancers in performing arts ensemble Konstra, which is made up of young artists with and without disabilities. During 2021 shew held an internship at Regionteater Väst in collaboration with Språng, where she tried out a part in the performance Utflykten. Since August 2022 Ida is employed as a dancer in Spinn. Her first part in the company is that of the character Slange in the performance Miramos, a part that she shares with Felicia Sparrström. As a dancer she has tried a variety of dance styles, ranging from contemporary dance to hip hop and breakdance.

My favorite cookie is without a doubt Oreo. With chocolate on the outside and vanilla inside and just so perfectly sweet. A cookie that just melts in your mouth.

Porträttbild av dansaren Annika Vestel. Annika har mörkbrunt uppsatt hår, brun jacka och en grön tröja. Foto: Polina Ulianova

Annika Vestel

Annika Vestel is active in both dance and physical theatre. She has often worked in an interdisciplinary way, and has, amongst other things, an education from Scuola Teatro Dimitri in Switzerland. In her own work, she investigates the communicative aspects of movement and various visual expressions. She often works with associative and poetic expression, rather than clear narratives, with the ambition of creating a physically direct and intuitive understanding of the pieces. Annika has also created costumes and set-design for her own projects, amongst them the performance Cracked that premiered at Atalante in Gothenburg in 2016.

Guest Dancers

Porträttbild av dansaren Felicia Sparrström. Felicia har rakt kort rött hår i en sidbena, glasögon med tunna silvriga bågar, avlånga silvriga örhängen och en svart blus. Foto: Polina Ulianova

Felicia Sparrström

To get to work with Danskompaniet Spinn feels great on so many levels. Aside from being able to work with inclusive performing arts and to promote that everyone, regardless of disability, has a right to take the stage, it also feels wonderful to work at such a fantastic workplace where everybody, no matter who you are, has their own equal and natural place.

Since fall 2016, Felicia has been part of SpinnUnga and has participated in amongst others the performance Livsvägar och Tillfälligheter, which premiered spring 2018. Since 2019, she has been part of the performances Miramos, Hannah Felicia, Moby Dick and Skirtpower. During 2022, Felicia is part of the Nordic collaboration project Diverse Nordic Dancers. Felicia has also co-choreographed the dance and theatre performance Constructions alongside two colleagues. In addition to working as a dancer, Felicia is a personal trainer and group training instructor at gyms in Gothenburg.

The best cookie I know is a hard cookie consisting of several flavors, including butterscotch, caramel and chocolate so that each chew is a surprise and a new taste sensation.

Porträttbild av dansaren Britta Kangas. Britta har rakt ljusrosa hår och en ljusblå stickad tröja. Foto: Polina Ulianova

Britta Kangas

Britta Kangas is a dancer, choreographer and scriptwriter. She was previously part of SpinnUnga and has an education from Dansutbildningen at Balettakademin in Gothenburg 2016-2018. In addition to her work with performing arts group Fula, she has created the dance and theatre performance Mosquito Nights, which is about growing up in Tornedalen. Britta has previously worked with choreographer Benedikte Esperi and choreographed for short films. In August 2018 she was one of four residency artists in Dans i Blekinge’s residency program Blekinge Dansresidens.

Co-Workers

Portrait picture of Tone Helly-Hansen, company host. Tone has straight blond hair with bangs, jeans shirt with a black sweater on top and over that a grey wool coat. Photo: Polina UlianovaTone Helly-Hansen
Company Host

Tone Helly-Hansen is a trained actor from Högskolan för Scen och Musik in Gothenburg and has been freelancing since 1985. She has worked at both larg and small theatres in West Sweden and extensively in TV and film. During Spring 2017, Tone started working as Spinn’s Company Host.

Porträttbild av Liselotte Reivén, administratör för Kulturklustret. Liselotte har långt brunt hår, stora silverringar i öronen och en beige blus. Foto: Polina Ulianova

Liselotte Reivén

Liselotte has a background in dance, body therapy and pilates. With an education in dance pedagogy from Danshögskolan and dance studies in New York, early on she also trained to become a body therapist at Axelssons Institute and has created her own educational concept Fascia Flow®. Through her own company Movement Center she offers treatments, workshops and lectures around movement health and rehab/prehab.

Porträttbild av teknikern Simmel Åslund. Simmel har mörka dreadlocks uppsatta i en knut uppe på huvudet, piercings i öronen och i nederläppen och grå ärmlös munkjacka över en mörkgrå tröja. Foto: Polina Ulianova

Simmel Åslund

Since 2012, Simmel has worked as a freelance technician in stage, sound and lighting on some of the largest arenas in Sweden, toured around the world and run a recording studio in Gothenburg. Autumn 2022 Simmel started working together with Spinn.

Klas Grimberg. Foto: SODA Casting/Daniel Bothén

Klas Grimberg

Since 1988, Klas has had the role of carpenter, technician, stage manager and set designer for productions by Utomjordiska Barockbolaget, Katarina Karlsson/Musik i Väst, Teater Bastard and E=mc2. Klas has worked with Spinn since it started in 2010.

Artistic Director

Porträttbild av Veera Suvalo Grimberg, konstnärlig ledare. Veera har gråbrunt kort hår, röda glasögon, svart skjorta med rödbruna hängslen och sin högra hand halvsluten. Foto: Polina Ulianova

Veera Suvalo Grimberg

The work we do with Spinn result in changes that are sorely needed in the field of dance. New bodies on stages, and the road to get there, with everything we’ve learned and the competence that’s been accumulated and disseminated. Danskompaniet Spinn is a role model, making it possible for coming generations to experience an art form where everyone is equally valuable.

Veera is the founder and Artistic Director of Spinn. She has worked as a choreographer and dancer since 1995. Veera trained as a dancer at the Performing Arts School in Gothenburg and has also studied Dance Pedagogy. Veera’s own work includes Hi-Hat Xpres from 2012, The Dancing Excavators at The Ground Breaking Ceremony (of the Swedish Pavilionfor Expo 2010 Shanghai China) 2009 and Truckbalett 2007-2009. Between 2003-2004 Veera worked as an Airis Artist (TILLT) and during the period 2004 to 2007 Veera was employed as Town Choreographer in Vara. She has also worked as a dancer with choreographers Gun Lund, Ismo-Pekka Heikinheimo and Eva Ingemarsson.

My favorite pastry is Runebergstårta that’s eaten on Runeberg Day, on February 5th in Finland. A perfect combination of almond, punch, raspberry jam and icing. I’ve never tasted anything similar anywhere else.

Spinnstudion

Spinnstudion, Gothenburg’s first accessible dance studio, is located at Järntorget 7 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Since August 2016, Spinnstudion is also the home of Danskompaniet Spinn.

Previously, there weren’t any dance studios in Gothenburg that could meet the requirements for accessibility necessary for Spinn. From the beginning, we were referred to a variety of gym studio, private dance schools and cultural houses, all temporary solutions with many compromises. By establishing our own studio, not only have we created an opportunity for the company to develop its own activities, we can also give children, youths and adults with various disabilities an opportunity to experience and take part in dance and meet on equal terms; a forum that’s previously been missing in Gothenburg.

The work to get the studio up and running has been done by us in the company, as well as by a number of volunteers, the latter giving us both their time and their money. Together we have realized our dream of Gothenburg’s first fully accessible dance studio.

Practical information
There is a small elevator and stairs from the entrance at Järntorget 7. If you require a larger elevator, this is located on the other side of the building at Mellangatan 1 B. Access code for this entrance will be provided by Veera.

Free floor space in the studio is 11.3 x 7.7 m, the ceiling height is 3.3 m. Please note that ventilation shafts come down 40 cm from the ceiling in many places.

A vinyl dance floor covers the sprung floor.
Along one of the sides is a mirrored wall that can be covered with a grey curtain.
There are no ballet barres.
The studio is equipped with a PA (including a cable with mini-tele plug), beamer and Wi-Fi.
There is a loudspeaker system in the studion.
There is no audio induction loop in the studio.
There are 10 yoga mats that can be borrowed.
Outside of the studio there is an accessible kitchenette where you can heat food, make coffee etc.
There are also showers, and the facilities are fully accessible.
It is allowed to bring a guide dog to the studio, but please let us know in advance.

Click here to download the accessibility folder about Spinnstudion/Göteborgs Kulturkluster!

Click on the links below for images
Image 1 – towards accessible entrance
Image 2 – towards entry from kitchenette
Image 3 – towards kitchenette and Spinn’s office

Interested in renting the studio?
Contact Veera Suvalo Grimberg, Artistic Director
Phone +46 (0) 706 48 33 13
Email veera@danskompanietspinn.se

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