Springboard Performance presents Vastadus eana, The answer is land, a radical act of resilience by Indigenous Sami choreographer Elle Sofe Sara. From the arctic tundra, polyphonic chants and dance draw us into an acapella story of resistance. This journey towards healing, love and collective strength is unique.
Taking inspiration from a poem that foregrounds the relationship between the Sámi people and their homeland, choreographer Elle Sofe Sara fashions a critically important message about the foundational attachment arising from community and culture.
Prior to the performance, Clarence 'Skip' Wolf Leg Jr will be performing in the Brookfield Place courtyard across the GRAND.
For more information on the culture of Norway's indigenous people and work of Elle Sofe Sara, please read this article by Victor Swoboda:
Sami Culture: The play and politics of Elle Sofe Sara - Dance International Magazine
Featured Artists
Elle Sofe Sara · Creator/Performer
Elle Sofe Sara (b. 1984) is a choreographer, director and filmmaker.
Sara’s work expands upon seemingly mundane, often overlooked areas of Sámi physicality—unspoken rituals that have escaped the vice grip of colonialism. Sara uncovers a space in which the past and the present coincide.
While her choreography is known for its playful approach, she also delves into taboo subjects such as trauma, abuse, and suicide. As an Indigenous artist, Sara seeks to create work that resonates as strongly for her community as it does for the art world. Internationally, Sara has created work with Liu Chi (China), Wimme (Finland), and Lana Hansen (Greenland) among others. She is also the co-founder of DÁIDDADÁLLU, a Sámi indiginous contemporary art collective.
Hailing from Guovdageaidnu, Norway, Sara holds an MA in choreography from the Oslo Academy of Arts (2010) and studied dance at the LabanTrinity school, London. She is the featured artist of the Arctic Arts Festival in Harstad (2020, 2021), winner of the Moon Jury Award at the Imagine Native Film Festival (2019) and one of four artists selected for Talent Norway’s emerging filmmakers program (2020-2023). When she is not working with choreography or film, or traveling for work, Sara can be found marking reindeer calves with her children or reading animal tracks in the snow.
Clarence 'Skip' Wolf Leg Jr · Creator/Performer
Oki! Clarence 'Skip' Wolf Leg Jr. is a powwow drummer. He was raised on the Siksika Nation and currently lives in the City of Calgary. He was trained as a Blackfoot Style powwow drummer/singer with over 30 years of experience & has sung with various championship drums over the years. He is also an experienced educator & Interpreter of Blackfoot culture/history, Plains First Nations history, & teacher of Powwow Drumming. He recently worked at the Glenbow Museum as an Educator before COVID shutdowns in 2020, and has worked with the Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society Theatre Group where he has worked as a drummer on 3 stage productions. He is a cultural leader featured as a drummer or providing teachings as a knowledge keeper throughout the City of Calgary & area since 2013.
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