Láhppon
Lost

Elle Sofe Sara's approach to developing new artistic works includes interviewing people who have physically experience the subject matter – and who continue to live with its effects. 

On this occasion, she interviews descendants of the rebels and those who suppressed the uprising. She also interviews academics, pastors and psychologists who can shed light on human mechanisms at play in such situations. 

These oral interviews are an important addition to existing written sources – especially in understanding how the echo of the rebellion has evolved from generation to generation in the affected families. 

Elle Sofe Sara (b. 1984) is a choreographer and director who lives and works in Kautokeino in Finnmark. She was awarded the Dance Critics' Award 2022–2023 alongside Joar Nango and Carte Blanche – The Norwegian National Company for Contemporary Dance – for the production BIRGET: ways to deal, ways to heal. In 2022, she was awarded the Dance Critics' Prize for the dance-joik production Vastadus eana – The answer is land, and she is also behind several award-winning short films. 

Elle Sofe's artistic works often reveal a space where past and present converge – a collage of Sámi physicality, spirituality, and simple means. Elle Sofe has an MA in choreography from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, was a featured artist at the Northern Norway Festival (2020, 2021) and is currently working on her first feature film, which will be the world's first joik musical. 

Her choreographic works are known for their playfulness, but she also delves into taboo themes in Sámi society, such as violence, abuse and suicide. As an indigenous artist, she seeks to create work that resonates as strongly with the community in which she lives as it does with the art world. 

Hlín Diego Hjálmarsdóttir (b. 1978) is an Icelandic choreographer, dancer and rehearsal director based in Stockholm. She has an extensive dance career and has worked with companies such as the Cullberg Ballet, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, Ultima Vez, the Iceland Dance Company and The Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm. Hjálmarsdóttir has collaborated with choreographers such as Mats Ek, Johan Inger, Crystal Pite, Sasha Waltz, Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Wim Vandekeybus, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Alexander Ekman, Sharon Eyal, Emanuel Gat and many others.  

Hjálmarsdóttir's own work is shaped by her Icelandic heritage and her life as a dancer outside of her homeland, and her works are often inspired by human humility. Her latest work, Riptide, was produced in two stages: first as a film, then at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm in February 2023. Hjálmarsdóttir's work demonstrates her endeavour to use multiple media in her art, such as film, still images, sculpture and dance. Although her themes can appear bleak, sadness and despair are overshadowed by courage and warmth, often expressed through an explosive sense of playfulness.