Carte Blanche

What Carte Blanche does

Carte Blanche is Norway's national contemporary dance company, established in 1989 and headquartered at Studio Bergen (Nøstegaten 119, Bergen). It operates a permanent international ensemble of 14 dancers and produces two new choreographic works each season in collaboration with invited national and international guest choreographers. Performances are staged at Studio Bergen, toured domestically across Norway, and presented internationally at venues and festivals including Festival d'Avignon, Montpellier Danse, Centre Pompidou, La Biennale de Lyon, Mercat de les Flors Barcelona, and Teatro Vascello Roma.

The company's core products are contemporary dance productions, supported by an educational and community-engagement programme that includes contact improvisation workshops (open and intermediate levels at 150–250 NOK per participant), family workshops for children aged 5–9 (100 NOK per child), weekly open contact-improvisation jams, and choir-movement workshops. Its repertoire spans 35+ years of work and includes award-winning productions such as MONUMENT 0.10: The Living Monument, HOW ROMANTIC, CANCEL BERTHA, Unchained Melody, Echo Flux, Soufflette, Øy, and SOLIDS. The underlying technology footprint is conventional — the company uses Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Facebook, and LinkedIn for marketing and communications, with ticket sales routed through TicketCo.

Carte Blanche is structured as a private Norwegian limited company (Carte Blanche AS, organisation number 957214479) with a Board of Directors chaired by Per-Harald Nilsson. It is not venture- or equity-backed and operates as an autonomous cultural institution. Revenue is generated through four streams: Norwegian public funding (Kulturrådet, Bergen kommune, Arts Council Norway, Fond for utøvende kunstnere), ticket sales (including a Pay What You Can tiered model of 150/275/350 NOK for the Dans – en fest! festival), workshop and jam fees, and co-production/touring income from international festival partners. Annabelle Bonnéry has served as Artistic Director since 2018 and will depart in 2027 for tanzmainz, with Mia Habib appointed to the role for the 2027–2031 term. The company is preparing to relocate to the new Sentralbadet Scenekunsthus performing arts venue in Bergen in 2027.

Name

Carte Blanche

Legal name

Carte Blanche AS

Website

https://carteblanche.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carte Blanche is Norway's national contemporary dance company, established in 1989 in Bergen, producing two new works per season with an international 14-dancer ensemble, touring nationally and across European festivals, and generating revenue from public arts funding, ticket sales, workshops, and international co-productions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Dance / Performing Arts

NAICS

Dance Companies (71112), Dance Companies (711120), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGADAB

Contemporary & Modern Dance

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Dance & Ballet Performances

SECONDARYMPAGADAC

Dance Theatre (Narrative/Experimental)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Dance & Ballet Performances

SECONDARYMPAGADAJ

Dance Festivals & Dance Series

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Dance & Ballet Performances

SECONDARYHSACAHAD

Dancers, Choreographers & Dance Troupes Booking

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Entertainment Booking & Talent Management

SECONDARYMPAIAGAC

Tour & Road Management

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Artist Management & Agencies

Keywords

• Contemporary dance performances
• Choreographic productions
• Dance workshops
• Performing arts touring
• Community dance education

Headquarters

HQ city

Borgen

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public funding and grants: As Norway's national dance company, Carte Blanche receives government funding from national and municipal cultural support mechanisms including Kulturrådet, Bergen kommune, and Arts Council Norway.
2. Ticket sales: Revenue from selling tickets to performances at Studio Bergen and touring venues across Norway and internationally.
3. Workshop fees: Fees charged for contact improvisation workshops and family workshops at Studio Bergen, ranging from 100-250 NOK per participant.
4. Co-production and touring fees: Co-productions with international festivals and venues provide funding contributions and performance fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Carte Blanche is Norway's national contemporary dance company, producing original choreographic works in collaboration with international guest choreographers and performed by a permanent 14-dancer ensemble at Studio Bergen and on tours across Norway and Europe. Beyond performances, the company offers educational programs including contact improvisation workshops (open, intermediate, and family levels), weekly contact improvisation jams, and choir collaboration workshops. The company also co-produces the annual 'Dans – En Fest!' festival with partner organizations.

Product overview

Carte Blanche is Norway's national contemporary dance company offering a portfolio of dance productions, educational workshops, and community engagement programs. The core offering consists of contemporary dance performances created with international choreographers, presented through seasonal programming at Studio Bergen and on national/international tours. Supporting offerings include contact improvisation workshops at multiple skill levels, family dance workshops, weekly open jams, and choir collaboration workshops. The company also co-produces the annual 'Dans – En Fest!' festival with partner organizations Bergen Internasjonale Teater and Bergen Dansesenter. Ticket sales are managed through external platforms including Ticketco.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dance Performances and Shows Contemporary dance productions created in collaboration with international and Norwegian choreographers, presented at Studio Bergen, touring venues across Norway, and at international festivals across Europe.
• Contact Improvisation Workshops Educational workshops in contact improvisation offered at open level (150 NOK) and intermediate level (250 NOK) for adults, taught by Carte Blanche dancers at Studio Bergen.
• Family Workshops Movement and dance workshops designed for children aged 5-9 with their parents, exploring contact improvisation through play and interaction. Priced at 100 NOK per child; accompanying adults free.
• Contact Improvisation Jam Weekly open dance sessions for contact improvisation practitioners of all levels, held every Tuesday at Studio Bergen.
• Choir Workshops Community outreach workshops pairing Carte Blanche dancers with local choirs, exploring movement techniques integrated with singing.
• Dans – En Fest! Festival Annual festival showcasing unfinished dance work in progress, offering audiences access to rehearsal processes and emerging artistic creations. Collaboration between Bergen Internasjonale Teater, Carte Blanche, and Bergen Dansesenter. Ticket prices use a Pay What You Can model (150/275/350 NOK).
• Repertoire Productions (Touring) Archive of past productions including MONUMENT 0.10: The Living Monument, HOW ROMANTIC, CANCEL BERTHA, Unchained Melody, Insight, Nororoca, Echo Flux, Soufflette, Øy, SOLIDS, and others available for touring and presentation at festivals and venues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Two new creations produced each season
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bergen Internasjonale TeatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBergen Internasjonale Teater (BIT) is a key venue and production partner for Carte Blanche. They collaborate on the annual 'Dans – en fest!' festival and are co-hosting the new Sentralbadet Scenekunsthus venue opening in 2027. BIT serves as an operational venue partner for Carte Blanche performances.
• Sentralbadet ScenekunsthuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew performing arts venue under development that will house both Carte Blanche and BIT as its primary tenants. The venue will serve as a central powerhouse for dance and performing arts production, presentation, and collaboration in Bergen. Expected to open in 2027.
• Festspillene i BergencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing co-production partner presenting multiple Carte Blanche productions. Co-producer of Landscaping, Echo Flux, Soufflette, and other major works. Presents Carte Blanche performances as part of the annual Bergen International Festival.
• KODE BergenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKODE is a key venue partner and co-producer for Carte Blanche performances. Co-produced Øy (presented at KODE 2) and Landscaping (presented at KODE as part of Festspillene i Bergen 2026).
• Centre Pompidou ParismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Landscaping in collaboration with La Biennale de Lyon. Part of the 'Constellation' projects presentation at Centre Pompidou.
• La Biennale de LyonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Landscaping with Carte Blanche and Centre Pompidou. World premiere presented at 21st Biennale de la danse de Lyon in September 2025.
• IRCAMmajorTechnology or IntegrationCollaborated on Landscaping for data-based music design (Augustin Muller) and sound diffusion (Clément Cerles) as part of the Centre Pompidou co-production.
• Folk FilmmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Landscaping, a short film and multi-screen video installation by Eszter Salamon developed in collaboration with Carte Blanche.
• Studio ESmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Landscaping with Carte Blanche and Folk Film. Producer Elodie Perrin collaborated on the production.
• Borealis FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBorealis – a festival for experimental music – is a co-commissioner of Øy with Carte Blanche. The festival commissioned the work exploring themes of isolation and alternative narratives.
• Bergen Internasjonale TeatermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Re~Percussion reimagined, a ritual performance combining dance, film, and music. The first event to take place on both stages (Scene Nord and Scene Sør) in Sentralbadet Scenekunsthus.
• Grame - centre national de création musicalemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Echo Flux with Carte Blanche and Centre Choréographique national de Caen. Grame is the national center for musical creation in France.
• Centre Choréographique national de CaenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Echo Flux with Carte Blanche and Grame. Led by choreographer Alban Richard who created 'the departed Heart' for the double bill.
• Den Nationale SceneminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDen Nationale Scene provided scenic painting services for CANCEL BERTHA, with their Malersal (painting workshop) hand-painting the elaborate floor design for the performance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cullberg: Sweden's national contemporary dance company (part of Riksteatern), based in Stockholm and touring internationally. Direct Nordic peer with similar ensemble size, guest-choreographer programming, and public funding model.
• Ballet Rambert: One of the UK's leading contemporary dance companies with a long history and guest-choreographer model, touring both domestically and internationally. Comparable in scale, repertoire strategy, and audience development focus.
• Iceland Dance Company: Iceland's national contemporary dance company, a small Nordic national company with a comparable ensemble, public funding, and international touring profile to Carte Blanche.
• Hofesh Shechter Company: A UK-based contemporary dance company producing large-scale theatrical work and touring internationally to major European festivals. Comparable in artistic ambition and international touring footprint.
• Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT): NDT is the most prominent national contemporary dance company in Europe. Like Carte Blanche, it operates with a fixed ensemble, a guest-choreographer model, and produces two new works per season for international touring — making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Akram Khan Company: Internationally touring contemporary dance company producing major theatrical works with high-profile co-commissioners. Comparable in the international festival circuit positioning and large-scale co-production model.

Broad incumbents

• Tanzmainz / Staatstheater Mainz: The dance division of a major German state theater, soon to be led by Carte Blanche's outgoing Artistic Director Annabelle Bonnéry. Comparable in scale, public funding structure, and contemporary dance programming at a national theater.
• Royal Danish Ballet: Denmark's national ballet company with a substantial contemporary programming arm. Comparable as a Nordic national dance institution with public funding, though it is materially larger and more classical in its core repertoire.

Regional players

• BIT Teatergarasjen: Bergen-based performing arts presenting house and co-producer that hosts Carte Blanche and co-produces the 'Dans – en fest!' festival. Comparable as a close operational partner and co-producer in the Norwegian performing arts ecosystem.

Emerging players

• DV8 Physical Theatre: UK-based contemporary dance and physical theatre company producing narrative and experimental work. Comparable in artistic positioning around experimental/narrative contemporary dance and international touring, though smaller and more project-based than Carte Blanche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CarteBlanche08
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarteBlancheNorway
• Instagraminstagram.com/carteblancheno
• Xx.com/carteblancheno
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carte-blanche-no-the-norwegian-national-company-of-contemporary-dance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carte Blanche