Joint initiative supports the development of dance in Norrbotten
Choreographic duo OR/ELLER are granted a regional production residency in Kalix and Luleå. It is a joint initiative of Region Norrbotten and Dansinitiativet.
OR/ELLER consists of dancers and choreographers Anja Arnquist and Madeleine Lindh. They will develop the dance performance Dolly together with dancer Sam Huczkowski, originally from Luleå.
Dolly is a performance that can be described as a dancing physical workshop, with inspiration from puppetry, chamber music and anatomical theatre. Based on experiences from the time between the first heartbeat and the first breath, OR/ELLER has let three guiding stars cross-fertilize different approaches to the work's theme of coming to life and becoming. Dolly the sheep - the first clone. Artist Dolly Parton - the woman who continued her creation outside the womb, and then the Doll - who comes to life through play and imagination.
Collaboration with Kalix Cultural School
The regional production residencies are carried out in collaboration with various municipalities in Norrbotten. The entire residency lasts four weeks, two weeks at the Kulturskolan in Kalix and two weeks at Dansinitiativet in Luleå.
The residency will give OR/ELLER an opportunity to work on and complete their dance production. The focus is also on meeting the local population. The plans include meetings and collaboration with Kalix Kulturskola and their dance students.
Residencies Anja Anquist and Madeleine Lindh have previously worked in northern Sweden through collaborations with the Härnösand Opera and the NorrlandsOperan in Umeå. This will be the first time they have come to Norrbotten with a production.
– We enjoy spreading ourselves out to understand how art changes and comes into being in the encounter with different local contexts. It will be nice to meet around the both banal and highly existential experiences that Dolly investigates. We look forward to the exchange with the people in Luleå and Kalix, says Anja Arnquist.
“Rings on the water”
Production residencies in various municipalities aim to strengthen the presence of dance in Norrbotten.
– The residency also elevates the municipalities in their role as dance organizers and enablers, says Rebecka Strand, dance consultant for the Norrbotten Region.
In Kalix municipality, the Cultural School is the collaborating party.
– It is a fun and exciting collaboration that highlights how one can work with dance and what it can be. We hope that it will give ripples in the water for the future. We are very much looking forward to taking part in the artistic process and sharing it with students and other Kalix residents. We hope that this can put dance more on the map in the municipality, says Jenny Selander Jönsson, dance teacher at the cultural school in Kalix municipality.
“Annually recurring”
Last year, the regional production residency was held in Pajala, resulting in the completed children's play Gro by Fanny Kivimäki.
– We intend to make this an annual residency. The idea is to initiate long-term collaboration with municipalities in Norrbotten. Residencies are an important part of creating dance performances, which results in meetings between the local population and professional dance, says Erika Pekula Pettersson, producer/project manager of the Dance Initiative.
Contact
Rebecka Strand, Dance Consultant, Norrbotten Region:
Rebecka.strand@norrbotten.se
Erika Pekula Pettersson, producer Dansinitiativet:
Erika@dansinitiativet.se
Björn Emmoth, principal of Kalix Cultural School:
Bjorn.emmoth@kalix.se
Jenny Selander Jönsson, dance teacher at Kalix Cultural School:
Jenny.Selander-Jonsson@kalix.se
OR/OR, resident
info@oreller.se