COMPAGNIE NATIONALE NORVÉGIENNE DE DANSE CONTEMPORAINE - CARTE BLANCHE

For Annabelle Bonnéry, artistic director of Carte Blanche, dance is not just a means through which creativity may be expressed. It is also a place for artists to engage with the social issues of our modern world. This is evidenced by the Norwegian National Contemporary-Dance Company’s first collaboration with choreographer Elle Sofe Sara and scenographer Joar Nango. Of Sámi origin, both question the colonial heritage and attitude of the Norwegian State towards these long-discriminated indigenous populations. In this respect, the piece’s title – Birget – is, in itself, a declaration of intent, as this expression means “to face up to and survive in a changing environment” in the Sámi language. And this is exactly what those who, today, dare to claim their culture and identity have done for generations. However, this piece is not limited to activism: through the virtuoso bodies of the 13 international dancers who make up the troupe, it offers the experimentation of an enhanced rite of collective reconciliation and healing. Storytelling, a vital part of the culture of the nomadic peoples of the Far North, constitutes the fabric of what is as much an artistic gesture as a political act of fraternity.

Carte Blanche, Elle Sofe Sara, Joar Nango

Carte Blanche, founded in 1989 and under the artistic direction of Annabelle Bonnéry since 2018, is one of the most internationally represented Scandinavian companies. Choreographer and film director Elle Sofe is co-founder of DÁIDDADÁLLU, a collective of contemporary Sámi indigenous artists. As for the Sámi visual artist Joar Nango, he co-founded the architectural collective Felleskapsprosjektet and was nominated by Norsk Form as Young Architect of the Year in 2012. Nango is a guest artist for the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale.