Birgit Berndt is Artistic Director for Dance at Norrlandsoperan since 2014 and responsible for the artistic program and international collaborations in Umea/ Sweden. She aims to empower especially performance artists based in the Nordic countries and internationally in long-term collaborations including residencies, mentoring and production support. Queer performing arts have been an active focus since 10 years. As curator, dramaturg and producer Birgit Berndt has 20 years of experience from the performing arts field working with festivals, venues, dance organizations, choreographers and in Germany and Sweden.