March 31, 2009 -- The University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance Guest Artist Series will host the innovative dance/theatre troupe Jo Stromgren Kompani for a free performance of "POLAROID (What's really going on around the North Pole)" Sunday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.
"POLAROID" is a collaborative dance/theatre work created by NAPA/the Nordic Institute of Greenland and Jo Stromgren Kompani. It gives voice to an indigenous perspective on Greenlandic culture and its art.
Part dance/theatre piece, part cultural critique, "POLAROID" offers a glimpse into the goings-on at the North Pole among those who have met there regularly for centuries to share gossip and news and to have a good time among friends -- the Inuit from the different Arctic corners.
The piece explodes the irresistible fascination of adventurers and colonists with romanticizing, exploring and conquering the legendary North Poleby visualizing the everyday happenings that occur there when nobody is watching.
"POLAROID" also challenges the boundaries of artistic expression imposed upon indigenous Greenlandic peoples by colonization and provides a vehicle for indigenous artists to express themselves free of these restraints.
Established in 1998, the group has grown into one of Norway's major contemporary dance companies. It produces and performs a wide range of innovative and inspiring pieces for national and international touring.
The work is supported in part by the UW Department of Theatre and Dance, the Associated Students of the Performing Arts, ASUW, the Wyoming Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Haub School and Ruckelhaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, NAPA/the Nordic Institute of Greenland and UW Cultural Programs.
Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009
