project report - ice hot nordic dance platform · 2.2. more, more, more more, more, more is a...

Project Report

ICE HOT Nordic Dance Platform Copenhagen 2016 Project report 2/29

Contents

1. Introduction 3

2. Artistic Program 4

2.1 Live Performances 5

2.2 More, More, More 7

3. Seminar Program 7

4. Meeting Points & Other Program 9

5. Guests & Delegates 10

6. Coaching & Mentoring 11

7. Organization 13

7.1 ICE HOT Partners 13

7.2 Staff & Human Resources 14

8. Financing 15

9. Local Partners & Collaborators 16

10. Communication, PR & Marketing 17

10.1 Online Presence 17

10.2 Press & Media Communication 19

11. Evaluation 20

11.1 Feedback from Delegates 20

11.2 Feedback from Artists 23

11.3 Conclusions 26

12. Future 28

Attachments

1. List of Delegates & Artists Representatives

2. Number of Audience

3. Project Budget

4. Media Coverage


1. Introduction

ICE HOT is a Nordic collaboration concept and brand, aiming towards promoting Nordic dance in

international events around the world, and continuously working for creating grounds for established

international collaboration. The first ICE HOT Nordic Dance Platform was arranged in Stockholm, Sweden in

2010, as a pilot project, and then in Helsinki, Finland in 2012 and Oslo, Norway in 2014.

ICE HOT is lead by a board of partners, and the arranging and hosting responsibility of the biennial platform

tours between the partner organizations. The partners are Dance Info Finland (FI), Dansens Hus Stockholm

(SE), Dansens Hus Oslo (NO), Performing Arts Iceland (IS) and Dansehallerne (DK).

The brand ICE HOT Nordic Dance has since 2010 reached international acknowledgment and is today well

recognized within the comprehensive network of the ICE HOT partners. The joint Nordic collaboration

concept is considered unique, and the partners have travelled around the world to share and consult in

initiatives for similar regional collaboration.

The platform has started to establish in the minds of the experts and artists as one of the key events for

networking, gaining knowledge of Nordic dance scene, and reaching international working opportunities.

The platform is attractive, which is shown in the number of applications and registrations from

professionals, who already have experienced ICE HOT, as well as new applicants and participants.

ICE HOT Nordic Dance Platform Copenhagen 2016 took place on November 30 – December 4, 2016 in

Copenhagen, Denmark. This was the fourth edition of the platform, and the main organizer was the Danish

ICE HOT partner, Dansehallerne.

The artistic program included 20 live performances and 15 offstage presentations from Nordic dance artists

and companies. The presented artists were selected by a jury of Nordic dance experts. The platform works

also as a broad discussion and networking forum, and the program included 9 sessions, workshops or

discussions, around current topics and competence building.

ICE HOT gathered to Copenhagen 313 international delegates from 34 different countries around the globe.

On top of that, 170 artists, managers, technicians and other crew members of the presented dance

companies were hosted at the platform.


2. Artistic Program

The artistic program consisted of 20 live performances and 15 offstage presentations in the program

section More, More, More. As in the previous editions of the platform, also this time the program was

selected through an open call for Nordic dance artists and companies. The presented companies included

170 artists, manager, technicians and other crew members, who were hosted at the platform.

The open call gathered all together 247 applications from all five Nordic countries. For the first time, the

artists were encouraged to apply also with site-specific works and other formats than black box or theatre

stage. This opening was later shown in the artistic program through a variety of unconventional

presentation formats, audience inclusion and locations. For the second time, the call was open for works

directed to both grown-up and young audiences.

The selection process was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, a national jury in each Nordic

country made a list of recommendations. In the second phase, a Nordic jury, consisting of one

representative of each national jury, went through the recommendation lists and made the final selection.

This was the first time the decisions about the artistic program were made by Nordic professionals. Instead

of the “outside eye” that was the reasoning behind the previous non-Nordic juries, the aim was to secure

the quality of the program with inside knowledge and understanding of Nordic dance and artists.

The Nordic jury members were Jesper De Neergaard (DK), Pirjo Yli-Maunula (FI), Katrin Hall (IS), Sven Åge

Birkeland (NO), and Sarah Melin Fermén (SE). The additional national jury members were Ib Jensen (DK),

Jens Christian Jensen (DK), Mikael Aaltonen (FI), Harri Kuorelahti (FI), Margret Askelsdottir (IS), Alexander

Roberts (IS), Lise Nordal (NO), Arnhild Staal Pedersen (NO), Malin Lundstedt (SE), and Marie Larsson Sturdy

(SE).

The criteria for eligibility was that the artist or company should live in or receive funding from one of the

Nordic countries, the work should fit in the genre of contemporary dance, and the work should have

premiered after January 1, 2014, but before January 31, 2016.


Additionally, the application should include a recorded version of the full performance, project description,

presentation of the company, and a technical rider. The production should also be available to be

performed at the platform and for international touring after the platform.

The jury was also advised to consider in their selection, while maintaining the level of artistic quality,

variety and equality within the scale of the companies and productions, representation of contemporary

context, target audiences, gender, location, and geography.

2.1. Live Performances

The artistic program included 20 live performances, out of which four were directed or suitable for families

and young audiences, and two were presented site-specific. In addition to the jury’s selection, the opening

evening presented a series of site-specific works from five emerging Danish artists.

The live performances were presented at four venues with eight stages/locations, situated around

Copenhagen: Dansehallerne (big stage, small stage, laboratory stage, lounge, and sixth floor),

Dansekapellet, Baltoppen LIVE, and Ku.Be. Due to small audience capacities, majority of the performances

were open for the professional international delegates only, however three of the performances at

Baltoppen LIVE were also open for the local public.

The total number of audience in the performances was 2855, with an average percentage of house

reaching 86 %.

November 30, 2016: Opening Evening, Dansehallerne 6th floor Open Site / Closed Site, curated by Fors Works

DANSEatelier: THE TECTONIC

David Gehrt: JUST DO IT!

Sanna Blennow: THIS IS ALL THERE IS

Fanclub: WAD – DANCES WITHIN

Casper-Malte Augusta: ARE YOU COMING? December 1, 2016

Margrét Sara Gudjónsdóttir (IS) : SPOTTED, Dansehallerne Small Stage

Ingri Fiksdal (NO): COSMIC BODY, KU.BE

Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth (FI): THUMBELINA, Dansehallerne Lab Stage


Pirinen, Hindi, Donovan, Walsh, Saivosalmi (FI): MEADOW, MEADOW, MEADOW, Dansekapellet

Sølvi Edvardsen (NO): MAN, Baltoppen Live

Iceland Dance Company (IS): BLACK MARROW, Dansehallerne Big Stage

Ccap (SE): HERE, HERE AND HERE HERE AND HERE, HERE HERE HERE AND HERE, HERE, Dansehallerne Lounge

December 2, 2016

Carl Knif (FI): RED, Dansehallerne Small Stage

Helgebostad/Rueslåtten (NO): ME TOO, Dansekapellet

recoil performance group (DK): ON/VOLT, Dansehallerne Lab Stage

Emma Daniel & Adriano Wilfert Jensen (DK): SPENDING TIME WITH DINOSAURS, Dansekapellet

Melkorka Sigrídur Magnúsdóttir (IS): MILKYWHALE, Baltoppen Live

Kitt Johnson X-act: POST NO BILLS (DK), Dansehalllerne Big Stage December 3, 2016

Milla Koistinen: A CLOUD OF MILK (FI), Dansehallerne Small Stage

Bára Sigfúsdóttir: LOVER – ADAPTATION ON LOCATION (IS), Dansehallerne Lounge

Claire Parsons Co (SE): AND THEN…, Dansehallerne Lab Stage

Gunilla Heilborn (SE): THE KNOWLEDGE, Dansekapellet

Norrdans (SE): LILLE PRINSEN, Baltoppen Live

Mette Ingvartsen (DK): 69 POSITIONS, KU.BE

Mia Habib (NO): A SONG TO…, Dansehallerne Big Stage

Mette Ingvartsen: 69 positions. Photo: Fernanda Tafner


2.2. More, More, More

More, More, More is a concept of artistic presentation sessions, where the selected artists present their

work offstage. Each artist is given 15 minutes to show what their work is about, through speech, slide

shows, video clips and/or movement. In Copenhagen, each session featured presentations from five artists,

adding up to 15 presentations. The presentations included two works with young audience as the target

group, and three site-specific concepts. The number of audience in the three sessions was all together 227.

December 1, 2016

MYKA/ My Grönholdt (DK): POLAR BEAR

Iceland Dance Company (IS): LOCO AND KICKS THROW A BIRTHDAY PARTY

Petri Kekoni Company (FI): NON-LINEAR

Jarkko Partanen (FI): FIELDS OF GLORY

Ásrún Magnúsdóttir (IS): CHURCH OF DANCY December 2, 2016

Inga Huld Hákonardóttir & Rósa Ómarsdóttir (IS): THE VALLEY

Sidney Leoni (SE): UNDER INFLUENCE

two-women-machine-show & Jonathan Bonnici (DK): TRANS-

Himherandit Productions (DK): THE WOMANHOUSE

Wee/Francesco Scavetta (NO): HARDLY EVER December 3, 2016

Oleg Stepanov & Jan Spotak (SE): MEMORY EMPTY, CREATE A/VOID

Shake it Collaborations (SE): MISS U

Haugen Productions (NO): SISTERS 11 YEARS LATER

Tero Saarinen Company (FI): MORPHED

Carte Blanche (NO): BY CARTE BLANCHE

3. Seminar Program

ICE HOT Nordic Dance Platform also works as a broad discussion and networking forum, and the program

included hands-on workshops and inspiring discussions on how to make a performance tourable, how to

write a good funding application, how to get hold on the international opportunities, and how to reach out

to new citizens and across borders.

The seminar program included nine discussions, workshops and info cells. The sessions were targeted to

the variety of professionals working in the performing arts field, and they were carried out in collaboration


between ICE HOT and other Nordic and European organizations and projects. The seminar program

gathered nearly 400 participants all together.

The main seminar, produced by ICE HOT, titled “Audience development and artistic outreach”, focused on

artistic development, audience engagement and audience participation, taking the starting point in the

current political situation in Europe and the Nordic countries. These themes were touched upon in the

other discussions as well, and the hands-on workshops covered a variety of international funding and

mobility opportunities for art practitioners.

One of the highlights in the seminar program was the launch of the East Asian Dance Platform HOT POT.

The collaboration was inspired by ICE HOT Nordic Dance Platform and the ICE HOT partners had been

consulting the Asian partners in forming the cooperation model. HOT POT is a travelling platform, which is

going to take place for the first time in Hong Kong November 2017.

“Very intensive programming and hot issues!”

More, More, More. MYKA: Polar Bear. Photo: Vahid / DoublExpose 2016


November 30, 2016

PRE-MEETING & DISCUSSION: Community Dance and Participatory Dance Art / Dansehallerne Community Department

December 1, 2016

WORKSHOP: On The Right Track: Insider Info on Nordic and European Funding / Creative Europe Desk Denmark, Nordic Culture Fund, Nordic Culture Point

ROUND TABLE: Young audiences in Asia, North America and the Nordics / Korea-Nordic Connection

SEMINAR: Audience development and artistic outreach

INFO CELL: Meet Goethe-Institut Dänemark / Goethe-Institut Dänemark December 2, 2016

PANEL DISCUSSION: Grasping opportunities: Create & tour internationally / FACE-Fresh Arts Coalition Europe, On the Move

INFO CELL & LAUNCH: East Asian Dance Platform

WORKSHOP: How do you put a performance in a touring box? / Nordic Circle of Artistic Management

December 3, 2016

TALK: Bo Madvig: The After Contemporary Mindset / After Contemporary

4. Meeting Points & Other Program

The platform was kicked off on the evening of November 30 at Dansehallerne. The international delegates,

Nordic artists and local communities were welcomed by Efva Lilja, Director of Dansehallerne, Hanne

Svejstrup, Project Manager of ICE HOT CPH, and Mette Bock, the newly appointed Danish Minister of

Culture, who gave her first official speech in the position at the opening.

The platform included two daily meeting points for the artists and delegates, one in the morning called

Morning After, and a late night meeting point in the evening time. Morning After was a new meeting

concept, where the delegates had the opportunity to meet the artists from the previous day’s program the

following morning. Morning After was facilitated by Ása Richardsdóttir, Icelandic ICE HOT partner, Bush

Hartshorn, dance programmer and certified coach, and Pirjetta Mulari, previous International Affairs’

Manager at Dance Info Finland and now Head of Production at Annantalo cultural house.

From Wednesday through Friday night, the late night meeting point gathered the participants to eat and

mingle at Dansehallerne. After the last performance of the day, the guests had a chance to discuss what


they had seen, and meet up in an informal environment. One of the late night meeting points was hosted

by The Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark.

On the last evening, the late night meeting point was replaced with a closing celebration, the final party.

The party included a presentation of Årets Dans, a national community dance initiative lead by

Dansehallerne. The torch of ICE HOT was handed over to the arrangers of the next ICE HOT platform in

Reykjavik, and Ása Richardsdóttir welcomed the dance community to participate both in the development

of the platform as well as the actual event in December 2018. In connection to the last Morning After on

Sunday, a farewell coffee was served to artists and delegates.

The informal gatherings were open to all local dance and performing arts community, and did not require

the payment of the registration fee or being part of the stage or presentation program. Alongside the

organized meeting points, several meetings between the artists and delegates took place during the

platform. Dansehallerne offered the premises with meeting rooms without a charge, in order to facilitate

the platform acting as a broad meeting arena for the field.

“I have also contacted people who were not presented at ICE HOT, but who were there to network.”

5. Guests & Delegates

The platform was primarily targeted for international dance presenters and programmers with the

potential to enhance the international touring and working opportunities for the presented artists. The

registration was carried out in two phases; a pre-registration for presenters was opened on June 30, 2016

and for artists and other professionals on August 31, 2016. The registration for both categories was open

until November 6, 2016. The registration was carried out electronically and the fee for participation was

900 DKK per person. Some guests were exempted from the fee payment as part of the support for their

participation. The registration fee included tickets to all performances, seminar program and meeting

points.

All together 313 international presenters, programmers, artistic directors, managers, artists, and other

dance experts registered for the platform. The delegates came from 34 different countries on four

continents (Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America). 54 % of the delegates came from the Nordic


countries, 27 % from another European country, and 19 % from outside Europe. This time there were also

larger delegations traveling as groups, from e.g. The Swedish Riksteatern and The Canadian Network of

Dance Presenters.

In order to reach such a large number of participants, Dansehallerne reached out to institutes and

organizations around the world to invite and support with travel and accommodation costs for the

international guests. All together nine organizations committed to cooperation, and 27 guests received

funding for their travel and accommodation expenses. On top of that, ICE HOT invited the Nordic and

national jury members to be part of the platform, and covered their travels and accommodation for the

occasion.

“It was impressive how many representatives were present.”

Organizations supporting invited guests in collaboration with ICE HOT

Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces

Goethe-Institut Dänemark

Danish Cultural Institute in Belgium

Dance Info Finland

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland

Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux

The Swedish Arts Grants Committee

The Nordic Embassies in France

Performing Arts Hub Norway

6. Coaching & Mentoring

In 2016 ICE HOT Nordic Dance introduced a coaching and mentoring scheme, which was primarily targeted

for the artists selected to the program of the Copenhagen platform, but also for the local dance

communities in each country. The purpose was to improve the platform experience for selected artists by

supporting them in their preparation. Feedback gathered from previous ICE HOT Platforms had shown a

demand for more support for the selected artists.

The coaching scheme was lead by Ása Richardsdóttir. The scheme included a series of open seminars under

the title “Conversation on the International” in all five Nordic capitals, organized by each partner


organization. The primary purpose of the seminars was to share knowledge and encourage dialogue in the

dance field at large regarding working internationally. Furthermore, one-on-one coaching and mentoring

sessions with Ása Richardsdóttir and Bush Hartshorn were offered for each of the selected artists or

companies in the ICE HOT CPH program.

Bush Hartshorn’s coaching sessions were meant for the choreographers and based on an hour of artist-led

dialogue. The objective was to prepare for ICE HOT Copenhagen by clarifying the individual aims and

mapping a strategy. A total of 23 artists took part in the coaching session with Bush Hartshorn, 18 live and

five via Skype. The immediate feedback from both Bush and the artists was positive. The opportunity to be

coached in general was appreciated among the artists. Those artists who did not take on the coaching

opportunity were mostly more experienced, mid-career artists.

Ása Richardsdóttir’s coaching sessions were meant for artists and producers and carried out in Skype

discussions taking place after their sessions with Bush. The objective of the sessions was to discuss any

issues the artist/company might have had in preparation for ICE HOT Copenhagen, as well as to review

their communication and networking strategies prior to, during and after the platform. For the More More

More artists, the session focused on how to prepare for the 15-minute presentation. 20 artists/companies

took part in the coaching via Skype and one coaching session was arranged in Copenhagen during the

platform. Additionally, all artists/companies received “Tips on networking” via email prior to the

conversation.

“Especially as a first-timer at ICE HOT it was useful, gave an insight to what to expect and set the mind

already to the event to come. Both Bush and Ása were generous with their advices. ”

As part of the coaching scheme, ICE HOT will publish a toolkit in April 2017, by the title of “It starts with a

conversation”. The toolkit is aimed towards the entire Nordic contemporary dance community and will

provide various methods and advice for companies and individuals to develop their work, recognize their

own processes and enable strong collaborative projects and artistic works. The toolkit is written by Ása

Richardsdóttir and Danish creative producer Lene Bang Henningsen.


7. Organization

7.1. ICE HOT Partners

ICE HOT is a collaboration of five Nordic dance organizations: Dansehallerne, Dance Info Finland, Dansens

Hus Oslo, Dansens Hus Norway, and Performing Arts Iceland. The project is lead by the board of partners. In

2015-2016 the board was formed by Sanna Rekola (Director, Dance Info Finland), Annelie Gardell (Director,

Dansens Hus Stockholm), Un-Magritt Nordseth (Director, Dansens Hus Oslo), Hanne Svejstrup (Producer &

Artistic Management, Dansehallerne), Ása Richardsdóttir (Creative Producer, Iceland).

The board gathered eight times during 2015-2016: in February 2015 in Copenhagen, April 2015 in Helsinki,

June 2015 in Copenhagen, August 2015 in Copenhagen, November 2015 in Helsinki, January and April 2016

in Copenhagen, and October 2016 in Reykjavik.

ICE HOT partners board 2016. Photo: Vahid / DoublExpose 2016


The ICE HOT partners are central national dance organizations in the five Nordic countries. The partner

organizations bring in their expertise on their national dance community, wide international networks, and

in addition, they represent different angles of the field.

Partner organizations • Dance Info Finland is an expert organization charged with promoting the development of Finnish dance art through service and advisory work, international promotion, reporting and development projects. • Performing Arts Iceland is an umbrella organization focused on creating international working opportunities for Icelandic artists through promotion, international collaboration projects and sharing information. • Dansens Hus Stockholm and Dansens Hus Oslo are national venues for dance, presenting both domestic and international dance on their stages, and arranging other activities to promote dance. • Dansehallerne in Copenhagen is a centre for contemporary dance and choreography with stage performances, community work, professional training and other activities.

7.2. Staff & Human Resources

ICE HOT CPH was lead and arranged by Dansehallerne. Dansehallerne hired Erika Härkönen as Project

Coordinator in April 2016, and Technical Director Nils Engelbrecht Sørensen started also working at that

time. Project Assistant Amina Krohn Membar was engaged through the Danish wage subsidy program in

September 2016, and two additional Project Assistants were hired in November 2016. The production team

worked for approximately 23 months in working hours for ICE HOT.

Dansehallerne’s own staff contributed into the production and arrangements significantly. The key roles

were taken by Producer Hanne Svejstrup for the project management, administration and board work,

Communications Officer Anne Mette Berg for leading the communication and PR throughout the project,

and Technical Manager Jesper Møller and Sound Engineer Johannes Hornberger for the technical

production for the performances and activities at Dansehallerne. The month before the platform, more

staff members were included in the project in more depth, and during the platform, the entire staff used an

amount working hours for ICE HOT.

“The platform was very well organized and especially the staff was wonderful”


ICE HOT bought web programming services from Danish company Mico and graphic design from Swedish

designer Beatrice Nordén. Nordén’s design has been part of the ICE HOT branding since 2010. The platform

was documented by photographer Vahid Evazzadeh from DoublExpose Ltd.

The collaborating venues in Copenhagen contributed with their technical and production staff in the

execution of the performances in each venue. On top of that, Dansehallerne hired 25 extra technicians, two

venue coordinators, a volunteers’ coordinator, and several front of house persons. During the platform,

more than 50 volunteers contributed to carrying out the event.

8. Financing

The platform was mainly financed with Nordic funding from Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordic Culture

Fund, Nordic Culture Point, national funding from Danish Art Foundation, and by the funding through each

ICE HOT partner organization. On top of that, several institutes and embassies contributed to carrying out

the platform. The total project budget for 2015-2017 was approximately 3.250.000 DKK.

The project was also supported with Dansehallerne’s and collaborating venue’s in-kind in staff, office,

technical equipment and space. Furthermore, several artists and international guests were supported by

national funding bodies, embassies and foundations, with their production, travel and transport costs.

These figures add up on top of the funding, which went through Dansehallerne’s ICE HOT project account,

and are thus not visible in the project budget.

Funding overview, ICE HOT Nordic Dance Platform Copenhagen 2016 Nordic Funding, approximately 1.631.455 DKK

Nordic Council of Ministers 1.034.754 DKK

Nordic Culture Fund 500.000 DKK

Nordic Culture Point 13.000 EUR

Funding from the partner countries, approximately 512.348 DKK

Dance Info Finland, 18.000 EUR

Dansens Hus Oslo, 18.000 EUR

Dansens Hus Sweden (Swedish Arts Council, Swedish Arts Grants Committee), 18.000 EUR

Performing Arts Iceland 400.000 ISK

Icelandic Ministry of Culture 900.000 ISK

Promote Iceland 500.000 ISK


Danish national funding, self-financing and other 1.110.012 DKK

Danish Arts Foundation 900.000 DKK

Registration fees 170.105 DKK

Singular institutes and embassies etc 39.907 DKK

9. Local Partners & Collaborators

Dansehallerne collaborated with three venues in Copenhagen: Dansekapellet, Baltoppen LIVE and Ku.Be.

Dansehallerne was the main venue for the event, where half of the performances took place on the three

stages and other locations. On top of that, More, More, More presentations, seminar program as well as all

meeting points and the final party were arranged in the premises.

Site-specific coffee outside Dansehallerne. Photo: Vahid / DoublExpose 2016


Dansehallerne also hosted the registration and info desk, as well as served as a meeting place for

encounters. Dansekapellet served as the venue for four performances, two performances were staged at

Ku.Be, and three performances were presented at Baltoppen LIVE, where also the local public could attend

the performances.

Several local organizations were collaborating in the practical arrangements and logistics. This included

seven hotels, public transportation company, transport, logistics and technical suppliers, local voluntary

center, and a variety of food trucks and caterers.

10. Communication, PR & Marketing

The brand and awareness of ICE HOT Nordic Dance has since 2010 grown internationally, and it is in 2016

well recognized within the comprehensive network of the ICE HOT partners.

As the ICE HOT platforms are aimed at the international dance professionals and experts, and especially the

presenters and programmers, the communication strategy for ICE HOT CPH had therefore a clear target

group. A plan for the focus areas was made by ICE HOT CPH Head of Communication, Anne Mette Berg, in

collaboration with Project Manager Hanne Svejstrup and Project Coordinator Erika Härkönen.

10.1. Online Presence

The starting point was a to redesign and program a new web page, that could reach into the future and not

only cover ICE HOT CPH but also other ICE HOT activities and the coming platforms. The new website

icehotnordicdance.com was opened in March 2016, merging and replacing the two previous ICE HOT

websites, icehotdance.com and nordicdanceplatform.com. The new website has a responsive design to

match the current need of functioning on mobile devises, and also to be flexible for the layout and design

needs of the future ICE HOT activities.

Another communication channel towards the international dance community, which ICE HOT CPH used

from an early stage, was the Facebook page facebook.com/ICEHOTnordicdanceplatform. The Facebook


page ended up having 2957 likes, with an increase of 498 since the end of the Oslo platform 2014.

Dansehallerne also sent out a monthly newsletter from May to November 2016.

As a new online tool, an Instagram profile Instagram.com/icehotnordicdance was opened for ICE HOT in

September 2016, in order to strengthen the visual communication as well as engage the younger audience,

and activate the community. Dansehallerne included the selected artists to participate in the

communication with an initiative “artist takeover”, where each artist got the chance to show their

preparation for the platform, and increase their visibility and give more depth in the insight of their work.

The Instagram profile acquired in the short time 249 followers.

The visual communication was also used to launch the program selection, through a film trailer published

on Vimeo vimeo.com/172869372. The strong emphasis on the online presence also lead into a decision of

decreasing the amount of printed material, including giving up a printed program catalogue, but instead

have all the information in versatile formats available on the website.


Again this time, the official program and registration launch took place in the end of August at

internationale tanzmesse nrw, in Düsseldorf, Germany. Project Manager Hanne Svejstrup and Project

Coordinator Erika Härkönen represented ICE HOT CPH at the event. ICE HOT CPH was presented in the

Danish Arts Foundation booth, and the launch reception gathered around 200 visitors.

Advertisements

CHAPTER (GB) / a full page advert in BDE Delegate Brochure

Finnish Dance in Focus 2016-17 (FI) / full page

Tanzmesse Düsseldorf Guide (D)

Danstidningen (SE) Printed material

Polar Bear Flyers / 1000 ex, Nov 2014

Polar Bear Flyers / 5000 ex, Oct 2015

Tanzmesse ICE HOT flyer / 2500 ex, Aug 2016

Program flyer / 550 ex, Nov. 2016

A1 posters (in two different designs) / approx. 60 ex, 2016

Beach flags / 12 ex, Nov. 2016

Stickers (two designs for Notebooks and info maps) / 1200 labels, Nov. 2016

Delegate bags / 550 ex, Nov. 2016

Key hangers / 606 ex, Nov 2016

Staff t-shirts / 98 ex, Nov. 2016

Staff sweaters / 30 ex, Nov. 2016

10.2. Press & Media Communication

Dansehallerne sent out an international press release announcing the ICE HOT CPH platform and the

program to 177 international receivers and 342 Danish media representatives in October 2016. A follow-up

for the Danish media was sent out in November 2016. Six journalists and media representatives, both

Danish and international attended the platform. The efforts towards the media turned into 32 articles and

reports in printed and online publications, television and radio. A detailed list of media coverage is included

as an attachment.


Media representatives present at ICE HOT CPH

Eeva Kaupinen (FI) – freelance cultural journalist, theatre and dance critic

Karolina Wycisk (PL) – writing for "Didaskalia. Theatre Magazine" www.didaskalia.pl

Monna Dithmer (DK) – freelance cultural journalist and dance reviewer

Betina Rex (DK) – dance reviewer from the Danish dance magazine Terpsichore, www.terpsichore.dk

Iben Friis Jensen (DK) – journalist with dance as her present main focus, writing for Fyns Amts Avis

Den 4. Væg (DK) –podcasts about Danish Performing Arts, reportage, reviews and interviews, den4vaeg.dk

11. Evaluation

After the platform, in January 2017, Dansehallerne gathered feedback from both the delegates and artists

with an online survey. In addition to analyzing the feedback, Dansehallerne made internal evaluations with

the project group and collaborators, in order to achieve a comprehensive view for the future development

of the concept.

11.1. Feedback from Delegates

The questionnaire was sent to all registered delegates, and it was open from January 6 until February 7,

2017. During this time, 120 responses were submitted.

Majority of the responders (58 %) were presenters or programmers, 24 % artists, and the rest represented

other professionals in the dance and performing arts field. Networks and colleagues played a key role in

finding out about ICE HOT CPH in the first place (50 %). Other important sources for finding out about the

platform were the ICE HOT partners, where 37 % named Dansehallerne and 23 % one of the other partner

organizations.

The main reasons for deciding to participate in the platform were networking opportunities (73 %), general

interest towards Nordic dance (68 %), and interesting artistic program (31 %). Most of the delegates had

already decided to participate more than 5 months prior to the platform (44 %) or at the latest 3 months

before (24 %).


Based on the information given at registration, a slight majority of the delegates (56 %) participated an ICE

HOT platform for the first time in Copenhagen. 44 % had previously attended the platform in Stockholm

2010, Helsinki 2012, or Oslo 2014. Many had also participated ICE HOT several times, or even in every

edition: 35 % had also been in ICE HOT Oslo, and for both Stockholm and Helsinki the percentage was 21 %.

The majority of the presenters and programmers (73 %) had also presented Nordic dance before

participating the Copenhagen platform.

The questionnaire showed that the delegates represented a wide variety of profiles in terms of artistic

interests and venues. 74 % were interested in artistic program directed to grown-up audiences; however,

44 % were also interested in work directed to children and young people. 74 % were interested in dance

and movement based work, and at the same time 53 % were also interested in conceptual and

performance art, and 49 % in multidisciplinary art.

60 % were looking for work presented in theatre stage or black box setting, and 39 % were interested in

site-specific works. Majority of the delegates were interested in small (56 %) and midscale (48 %)

performances, and 28 % could collaborate with large-scale productions.

The diversity of the presenters generated, as usual, a variety of viewpoints over the artistic program. As the

program included rather small and mid-scale performances and new concepts, some delegates felt they

would have liked to see more large-scale and movement driven work.

The resources of the organizer didn’t allow collaboration with large-scale venues in Copenhagen, which

directed the possibilities of what to present in the live program. The artistic selection also reflects the

current characteristics in the Nordic contemporary dance scene: there is a growing new generation of

emerging artists, whose work has conceptual and cross-disciplinary tendencies, and a lot of the work is

created for an intimate small-scale setting.

As many of the artists are previously unknown to the international delegates, it is a challenge to manage

the expectations on what kind of performances and artists they will meet at the platform. The delegates

gave a rather low rating regarding the suitability for what they where looking for (live performances 2,7, on

a scale from 1 to 5).


This result was discussed amongst the organizers and partners, who decided to focus more in the

communication about the contents of individual performances and artists in the future, and thus give the

delegates an opportunity to consider the relevance and prepare for their participation, as well as have

more facilitated meetings between the delegates and artists at place.

Dansehallerne is located in Carlsberg byen, a new area under construction, which created special

circumstances for the arrangement. In addition, the restaurant inside Dansehallerne had closed down

before the platform, and the organizer needed to find other on-site solutions to serve for the needs of food

and coffee.

The challenging circumstances naturally affected the practical arrangements and the possibilities for

hospitality. The organizer was able to navigate through with creative solutions, and the majority of the

guests felt that they were well taken care of, and the staff was described welcoming and professional.

“The registration/info desk was amazing. They were super nice and really helpful.”

“[I liked especially the] Friendly, communicative atmosphere. Perfectly organized. Brilliant communication.”

Overall ratings (5=excellent, 3=average, 1=poor) Communication

Website 3,7

Newsletter 3,6

Info emails 3,9

Social media 3,2

Welcome kit at place 3,9 Practical arrangements

Registration & ticket reservations before arrival 3,7

Registration & info desk at place 4,4

Accommodation 3,8

Platform schedule 3,7

Transportation/logistics in Copenhagen 4,1

Venues & locations 3,8

Snacks & food 2,8


Artistic program

Quality (performances) 3,1

Quality (More, More, More) 3,7

Variety of selection (performances) 3,2

Variety of selection (MMM) 3,8

Suitability for what I was looking for (performances) 2,7

Suitability for what I was looking for (MMM) 3,4 Other program

Contents/topics of the seminar program 3,5

Quality of the seminar program 3,5

Informal gatherings 3,8 ICE HOT experience as a whole 3,7

The unique atmosphere of ICE HOT was again recognized, and the platform was experienced to offer

valuable meeting and networking opportunities. 90 % of the delegates stated they will definitely or maybe

attend the next edition of the platform.

“It is an incredibly valuable thing for people in the dance industry to gather and expand on their own views

and practices, and in a professional environment such as ICE HOT. I felt it and I was only there for one day,

the room was buzzing.”

“I really liked the experience of ICE HOT. I will for sure register for the next edition.”

11.2. Feedback from Artists

The feedback questionnaire for the artists and dance companies presented in the artistic program was sent

to both choreographers and managers. 21 responses were received by the deadline.

Most of the artists (67 %) had applied to another ICE HOT platform before applying to ICE HOT CPH, and 43

% had been part of the program in a previous platform. As well as the delegates, also the artists had found

out about the platform either through a colleague or network (48 %) or through one of the ICE HOT partner

organizations (Dansehallerne 38 %, other partner organization 38 %).


The majority of the artists (81 %) operate either as a freelance dance artist or an independent dance

company. All of the artists stated already some international experience; however, there was a visible

division in the regularity and extent of performing internationally, between the artists. 38 % responded to

have international tours regularly and on the other hand 48 % responded to have just singular

performances every now and then.

The newly initiated coaching program was well received among the artists. For schedule reasons, taking

part in person was unfortunately not possible for some touring artists, but many took part in the sessions

through Skype instead. The artists appreciated the opportunity and experienced to gain new ideas, support

and good advice for the ICE HOT days and beyond. They would even wish the concept to be developed

further and receive more support during the platform.

“I feel I gained confidence, important insights and support in finding my personal way of approaching the

whole experience”

The artists felt that the technical circumstances, venue, and placing in the schedule were very good, and

they were happy with the particular performance/presentation they did at ICE HOT. The artists received

positive feedback from the delegates immediately after their showing, as well as gained collaboration and

working opportunities already within the two months time after the platform until the survey deadline.

The artists value ICE HOT as an important meeting place and a stepping-stone for their international

careers. They experience that being part of the artistic program is a great way to widen their international

networks, gain visibility and that it generates touring and collaboration opportunities.

“We gained interesting international contacts for the future and have been invited to present the

performance plus another work of mine as a result of ICE HOT.”

“[We got] Warm feedback and a lot of contacts. We are working on a tour at the moment.”


Overall ratings (5=excellent, 3=average, 1=poor) Application process 4,2 Coaching

Open seminar 3,6

Coaching session with Bush 3,8

Coaching session with Ása 4,4 Practical arrangements

Amount, relevance and clarity of information 3,7

Travel & accommodation 4,3

Other arrangements before arrival 3,7

Other arrangements at place 3,8 Circumstances

Financial conditions 3,1

Technical possibilities 3,9

Placing in the schedule 4,1

Venue (non-technical viewpoint) 3,7

Audience 4,1

Particular showing 4,2 Program

Seminar program 3,4

Artistic program 3,3

Morning after 3,2

Late night meeting point 3,6

Final party 3,3

Other networking possibilities 3,8 ICE HOT experience as a whole 3,9

The artists would recommend ICE HOT to their Nordic colleagues, and 95 % stated that they will definitely

or maybe apply for the next ICE HOT platform in Reykjavik.

“I feel that my international network has expanded more than ever through this ICE HOT.”

“The outcome exceeded my expectations.”


11.3. Conclusion

From organizer’s point of view, the platform was successful. The event was carried out according to the

project plan, and the goals set were reached. The budget frame was maintained, however some

adjustments were made during the course of the project, after the performance program was selected and

when receiving decisions for grant and other support applications.

The circumstances within Dansehallerne’s organization and the area where Dansehallerne is located

created challenges for the execution of the platform, and required some modifications to the plans and

budget. Ongoing changes in the organization structure as well as facing a move to a new location in the

near future affected the extent of in-kind investment that Dansehallerne could put into the project.

Dansehallerne’s current, and also future, premises are located in Carslberg byen, which is a new area under

construction. This required an extra effort to coordinate the logistics and guiding around the continuously

changing building site. Dansehallerne tried to minimize the disturbance for the artistic program in terms of

noise level, and find creative ways to take care of catering and hospitality.

Nevertheless, Dansehallerne and the production team worked around the challenges and carried out a fully

booked and well-organized event. The percentage of international guests with a programming profile was

the highest so far, which is a significant achievement in the field, where many events and platforms are

filled with artists and companies selling, but not that many participants capable of presenting.

A new tendency in the presenters’ participation this year was that there were several group delegations.

There was for example a touring network of 30 Swedish theatre associations and a Canadian dance

presenter network with 11 representatives from regional touring networks. These larger groups may also

have had an influence on the survey statistics, for example in terms of artistic preferences and satisfaction

in the presented program.

The wide participation of presenters and programmers reflects the international acknowledgement of the

ICE HOT brand. The unique atmosphere, moderate amount of delegates, and guaranteed organizational

quality make it attractive for presenters, on top of the interesting artistic program. It is the place to be, and

the majority of the delegates book it in their calendars more than 5 months prior to the event, already


before the full program announcements. The excellent reputation goes also together with high

expectations, and reaching the highest ratings from the delegates gets more difficult on the way.

As well as an amazing opportunity to the artists presented in the program, the platform can also be an

intimidating and challenging context for the artists. The all-professionals audience and a significant amount

of important programmers present require a strategic approach, in order to make the most out of the

opportunity. The coaching and mentoring scheme was built to respond to this need. It was appreciated by

the artists and gave even immediate results, and should thus continue in the future. As one of the

outcomes, the survey showed that the artists were even more content for their participation for this

edition than what was shown in the previous surveys.

As the results of international promotion usually take time to become concrete – turn into invitations,

residencies, commissions and tours, it is only now after the first editions that the value of being part of ICE

HOT becomes visible for a wider group of artists. This can be seen both in the growing amount of

applications and that the artists value the platform not only for themselves but that they would also

recommend it for their colleagues interested in getting their feet on the international grounds.

The ICE HOT partners reflect that the success of the concept is based on:

• Deep knowledge on Nordic dance art and dance field

• Deep knowledge of international markets

• Collaboration, joint efforts and wise use of resources

• Trust and ability to look beyond national interests

• Pragmatism and realistic approach: By working together and organizing a marketing platform together,

Nordic dance has gained more visibility and international recognition than if each country would work

separately and compete with the others

• Strong funding base from Nordic Council of Ministers.


12. Future

While organizing the platform in Copenhagen, ICE HOT partners were already looking towards Reykjavik in

2018. Due to the lack of an Icelandic partner in the beginning of the collaboration, the first ICE HOT project

plan, submitted to Nordic Council of Ministers in spring 2011, included the biennial platforms only up until

Copenhagen 2016. After Performing Arts Iceland joined the collaboration as a partner later in 2011, the

plan to collaborate was extended until 2018.

The preparations for ICE HOT Nordic Dance Platform Reykjavik 2018 have already begun, and the project is

led by the Icelandic ICE HOT partner Performing Arts Iceland. The dates of the platform were announced in

Copenhagen: December 12 – 16, 2018. The Reykjavík organizers have already received enquiries from the

international community about its dates, focus and expected program. The selection of artists and

companies will begin in December 2017 with an open call.

It is still an open question, whether the partners aim to organize ICE HOT Nordic Dance biannual platform in

the future, after the Reykjavik platform. However, collaboration and promoting Nordic dance will certainly

continue, in one way or another. The partners are now investigating, how this collaboration should be

executed, with whom, and how it would be funded – in dialogue with the Nordic dance community and also

with the funding bodies and policy makers.

During the Copenhagen platform, ICE HOT partners invited participants (festival directors, producers, artists

etc) from the Nordic countries to discuss Nordic dance promotion: how it is done today and how it might be

done in the future. The discussion was moderated by Mads Nyholm Hovmand. More than 30 participants

expressed a great variety of ideas and wishes about the future of Nordic joint activities, whether focused on

promotion of Nordic dance or on collaboration.

In addition, the partners arranged a meeting with the civil servants, representatives from ministries of

culture and other official bodies from each country. Representatives from Nordic Culture Point and Nordic

Culture Fund also participated in the discussion. The topics discussed were the development and status of

the ICE HOT collaboration, initial plans for Reykjavík platform December 2018, and thoughts on future

prospects of ICE HOT and joint Nordic promotion.


The overall opinion among the participants was that ICE HOT brand is highly valued and that the

collaboration should continue. One of the questions raised was that if the platforms continues after

Reykjavik, should the old partners continue or should there be changes. The future funding was also

brought up: if the funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers will come to an end, how would the major

part of the platform budget be funded. Both questions remained unanswered.

Photo: Vahid / DoublExpose 2016

project report - ice hot nordic dance platform · 2.2. more, more, more more, more, more is a...

Documents