Guoddi (performance)

At the intersection between Sámi tradition and modern art, this performance unfolds as a dialogue between avant-garde duodji and performing arts. Dancer Ánna-Katri Helander, composer Anthoni Hætta, designer and duojár Ann-Sofie Kallok and dancer Sebastian Björkman intertwine dance and music in an expression of cultural synthesis, creating an interdisciplinary tapestry of movement and sound.

The project “Guoddi” represents a unique art performance where dance and music are sculpted through the expression of avant-garde duodji. These elements, deeply rooted in the Sámi craft tradition, move towards highly experimental forms of expression. Guoddi, a word from the Northern Sámi language that means someone who carries, in this context becomes a metaphor for the role of the dancers. They wear body parts that symbolize pride and strength, but also the weight and burden that carrying an indigenous culture can entail.

Guoddi is thus a central element in this performance, a bearer of cultural identity and history.

Through a creative collaboration between designer and duojár Ann-Sofie Kallok, dancers Ánna-Katri Helander and Sebastian Björkman and composer Anthoni Hætta, a new and exciting artistic landscape is explored, where the body elements not only influence, but determine the direction of the other art forms. The composer and dancers draw inspiration from the expression, movement and temperament of the elements.

In the final product, music and dance are united in a way that elevates the avant-garde elements into a powerful, challenging and multidimensional performance. This performance is not just a dance, but a symbiosis of art forms that together create a unique and memorable experience.

“Guoddi” was commissioned for Dáiddadállu 10 anniversary in 2024.

CREDITS

Avant-garde duodji and costume: Ann-Sofie Kallok

Composer: Anthoni Hætta

Dancers and choreography: Ánna-Katri Helander and Sebastian Björkman

Make-up and hair: Ina M. Tretnes

Sound and light: Aira dance company

Co-producer: Dáiddadállu

Supported by: Dáiddafoanda, Arts and Culture Norway, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, Nordic Culture Point, Jokkmokks municipality, KUPP and through a residency at Jillat Sámi dance center.

Thanks to jewelers Angelina Clerici and Linn Fahsing, Esben T. Andersen, Beaivváš Sámi Našunálateáhter, Davvi Division, Hilde Skancke Pedersen, Juhls Silver Gallery, Fredrik Prost.

BIO

Ann-Sofie Kallok is a duojár and designer who creates unique products with a modern Sami expression. She has a three-year education in duodji from the Samernas Utbildningscentrum in Jokkmokk and an engineering education with a focus on innovation and design from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. With respect and knowledge of duodji, the Sámi craft tradition, she designs products that capture elements from Sámi culture and present them in new ways. Through her work, she brings tradition, knowledge and cultural values into new contexts.

Ánna-Katri Helander is a dancer with a background in belly dance and hip-hop. She has her education in street dance styles from the Flow Dance Academy in Oslo. As a Hip Hop dancer in Sápmi, she works according to the principles of being strong, proud and constantly evolving. She is closely linked to Sámi culture and Sápmi, but at the same time she works with urban youth culture and balances and therefore constantly moves between two worlds.

Anthoni Hætta is a musician, composer and producer with a background from the music conservatory in Kristiansand where he took a bachelor's degree in rhythmic music with piano as the main instrument. He primarily works with electronic music in various projects, but he has also composed music for films and podcasts.

Sebastian Björkman is a dancer who, through his dance, seeks to return to his roots but with one foot in urban street dance culture. He grew up in Stockholm but has his roots from Ammarnäs/Gávtjávvrie in Västerbotten and is part of the Sámi families who were forcibly relocated in the 1930s in Sweden from Karesuando. Sebastian is a trained dance teacher at Stockholm's Konstnärliga Högskola and graduated in 2016. Since then, he has worked as a dancer in several different Sami dance projects and most recently with the performance "Jarkelidh" which toured with the Riksteatern in autumn -23.