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North Fourth Art Center hosts Scandinavian dance companies in 8th annual international festival

by SARAH M. KRAMER

Photo credit: Jo Strømgren Kompani

The Jo Strømgren Kompani explores the human fascination with the northern tundra in "Polaroid: What's Really Going on at the North Pole."

Compass Set to North
Marjorie Neset wants Albuquerque to see the world through contemporary dance.

Neset is the artistic director for Global DanceFest 2009, an annual festival that brings international contemporary dance companies to the North Fourth Art Center from Feb. 26 to March 28. (See the sidebar for a complete list of companies.)

“I’ve laughing said to people that I’m a dance geographer,” Neset says. “There are many ways to explore the world--it could be through theater or sheer political study--but I particularly love contemporary dance. So it’s [Global DanceFest] the idea of exploring the world through the eyes and movement and art of dancers.”

The festival is co-presented by VSA and NewArt New Mexico. Both are non-profit organizations committed to bringing art to Albuquerque.

This year's theme is “Lattitudes North.” All the performers are based in Scandinavia.

“Scandinavia in general doesn’t have a long history of contemporary dance,” Neset says. “Their work not so influenced by Europe or the U.S., it comes more out of the experience of being in the north and being somewhat isolated. Just now in last few years the countries are getting the ethnic diversity of immigrants coming in and impacting the culture. All of these realities influence their work.”

A Divisive Opening
“Anne Between Blue and Green” sparked debate during its world premiere weekend at Global DanceFest 2009: Latitudes North. The presentation from Denmark's Granhøj Dans featured Anne Eisensse as its sole performer.

The piece evolved during its opening weekend in Albuquerque. The inaugural performance of the piece was Feb. 26, and by March 1 the show had a different title.

“Now it's called, 'It's a Very Big Secret,’” said Granhøj Dans founder Pelle Granhøj before the March 1 performance. “So you can take your pen to the blank space on your program and write what you want the show to be called.”

“Anne's very special, as you'll see,” Granhøj said.

Eisensse danced, sang and played instruments, including the piano, cello and a computer dj-ing program.

Eisensse's incorporation of her body with the instruments she was playing elicited different responses from the audience, particularly a moment when she used the bow of her cello to play various parts of herself while orally producing a cello-like sound. A drag of the bow between her legs made some of the audience laughed while others were held rapt.

“I don't understand some people's reactions, why they laughed,” said Elaine Ritchel, 23. “I thought it was a really painful moment.”

Heather Morris, 22, said: “I don't usually go to performances, especially ones so out there, so for me I did laugh. I think I was uncomfortable and maybe also just going with the audible reaction other people were having.”

Images of Elsewhere
New Mexicans are doing more than playing host to the festival. The work of Joseph Lujan, a Santa Fe-born photographer, is featured in the lobby gallery of the North Fourth Art Center. Lujan's wife is Norwegian, and the couple lived outside of Oslo for three years. The N4 exhibit, titled “Norway: Through a Southwestern Lens,” features photographs from his time abroad in Norway.

At last year's festival, Neset mentioned the upcoming Latitudes North and Lujan spoke about his time in Norway, which he says was spent working on his artwork and photographing his impressions of the Norwegian landscape. Neset asked Lujan to put together an exhibit, his first, for this year’s festival.

Lujan characterizes Oslo as “more urban” and “less spread out” than Albuquerque.

“Most of the photos are in around the Oslo area,” Lujan says of the pictures in the exhibit, nearly all of which were taken with a point-and-shoot digital camera. “But they aren't really urban--we were living in a small town south of Oslo.”

“It contextualizes Scandinavia,” Neset says. “Just like the dance companies. I love the fact this New Mexican guy added so much color to his photographs of the Norwegian landscape.”

Contemporary Dance
Global DanceFest is a contemporary dance festival, which means that there's nary a tutu or toe shoe in sight.

Neset says the “high tech and very technically sophisticated” work of the companies reflects the technologically-advanced and forward-looking vibe of Scandinavian countries.

“There’s tons of work around the world that’s excellent in technique – well done, beautiful on the stage, I think plenty of people present that, there’s opportunity to see that work,” Neset said. “We’re looking for work that represent a different culture or different way of looking at things.”

Contemporary dance is an unfamiliar phrase, even to people who attend dance performances regularly. Contemporary dance is the next evolution in performance dance; just as modern grew out of ballet, contemporary grew from modern. Contemporary incorporates multimedia elements or everyday objects and is “dynamic and sometimes challenging to the viewer,” according to Neset.

Neset is a fan of contemporary dance. “I most enjoy performances where I’m a little curious while the work is going on about where it’s going and what’s it trying to say and do,” Neset said. “I think that’s what’s art’s about. If you know exactly what’s going to happen, what’s the point?”

Neset says that an audience of contemporary dance pieces will be rewarded for their “curiosity and a sense of adventure.”

“If you can’t go to Scandinavia, you can come and see these artists and see this work,” Neset says. “You’ll have been on a journey, like a little visit to Scandinavia. People still think of Scandinavia as blond-haired, blue-eyed people in felt skirts doing little folk dances. Scandinavia is not like that any more. It's very contemporary.”

Written March 12, 2009

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