Oddrun Lilja I Fatemeh Ekhtesari I Zhanna Gladko
Music, poetry and visual art combine in a performance about freedom, hope and exile, told from a female perspective. Dancing into Fire is a sweeping, large-scale performance where the right to liberty and self-expression and the sacrifices it may involve, are urgent topics. At the heart of Dancing into Fire lies the experience of three female artists from very different political backgrounds: Islamic theocracy, patriarchal dictatorship and idealistic social democracy.
A jail sentence hangs over Iranian poet Fatemeh Ekhtesari. Visual artist Zhanna Gladko left Belarus after finding it impossible to work as a female artist in a deeply patriarchal environment where culture is heavily censored. Zhanna lives in Norway supported by the organisation Safemuse, an organisation working for artists that have been threatened, persecuted or censored, Fatemeh is a City of Refugee artist in Lillehammer through ICORN. Guitarist /composer Oddrun Lilja grew up in the comparatively safe social reality of Iceland and Norway, but travelling the world with her music has opened her eyes to the limitations on self-expression that her peers experience elsewhere. She has created the music together with composer Rolf Wallin.
Performed by Kringkastingsorkestret and soloists, Dancing into Fire is a tribute to all artists who are persecuted for their work.
More Sounds Now at Ultima: check out Shovel Dance Collective