October 6, 2006
Dancers from Greenland’s first dance-theatre company sold out two performances of their
new work, Polaroid, at Nuuk’s Katuaq centre last weekend. (PHOTO COURTESY OF NAPA)
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October 6, 2006
Modern dance wows Nuuk
The dance theatre performance of Polaroid was a total success last weekend in Nuuk, with two sold-out shows at the 500-seat Katuaq hall.
The theme of the dance the North Pole, with dancers and artists Nukaaka Coster Waldau, Vivi Sørensen, Kristian Magnussen, Varste Mathæussen Berdtsson and Kristina Ougaard Sørensen (from the Faroe Islands) performing in the show.
And a reviewer noted that the dancers managed to completely cast off the traditional performances audiences normally see in Greenland: the dancers only wore underwear when they performed.
The scenery was likewise simple, with only few items of decor. A large white backdrop on the wall made the audience feel as if they were at the North Pole.
The action revolved around four women at the North Pole, who suddenly realize that there is another person in the area where they are. It is a young interesting man, and every woman tries in turn to impress the young man.
The dance theatre is also going to be performed at Opera House in Copenhagen, Denmark, and in the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden and Finland in coming weeks.
The dancers performing in ‘Polaroid’ will make history when they take the stage at the Opera House on Oct.14 because they will be the first Greenlandic company to ever play at the Royal Danish Theatre.
NAPA, the Nordic Institute in Greenland, is sponsoring the theatre company and its tour.
“Modern dance and theatre schools don’t exist in Greenland as they do in the rest of the Nordic region. We hope to change that by attempting to create a performance that includes dance, theatre, light, sound production design and costumes all based on the Inuit’s own terms,” said NAPA’s manager Anders Berndtsson.
October 6, 2006
United States clears out of Iceland
The United States military base at Keflavik, Iceland was formally returned to Iceland last Saturday after 55 years of occupation.
In a simple ceremony, the U.S. and Icelandic flags were lowered and then the Icelandic flag was alone raised to full mast, representing Iceland’s governance over the area.
The next day, critics of the U.S. presence in Iceland gathered on the site to have a look around the former base - the first members of the general public to do so. They were shown around by a guide who pointed out both the most notable and the most heavily polluted areas of the former base.
On Sunday evening, a public meeting and celebration was held at the club NASA to commemorate the transfer of Keflavik back to Iceland, under the slogan “Vopnin kvödd” or “A Farewell to Arms”.
However, the U.S. is still vowing to defend Iceland, according to the new Iceland-U.S. defense agreement.
Icelanders now have possession of former base, but will have to pay up to $80 million for clean up of toxic areas and demolition. Cockroaches have apparently infested several buildings at the former base.
October 6, 2006
Inuit art in Quebec City and Iceland
A new room opened last week at the Musée national des beaux-arts in Quebec City featuring works from the Inuit art collection of Raymond Brosseau.
The new exhibition space is called La salle Hydro-Québec because the provincial power corporation helped the museum acquire Brousseau’s collection from his privately.
More than 200 works are on display, chosen from about 2,600 carvings and prints.
The fine arts museum is not planning on charging any admission to the La Salle Hydro-Québec - La collection d’art inuit Brousseau.
This collection was a major acquisition for the Quebec cultural heritage, said the museum’s director, because it increases the museums’ profile locally and internationally.
On Oct. 14 an exhibition of 110 works from the museum’s Brousseau collection opens at a museum in Kopavogur in southern Iceland, where they will remain on display until Dec. 10.
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