Post-Show Talk: Elle Sofe Company

This Post-Show Talk is moderated by Scholar-in-Residence Cathy Levy in conversation with Elle Sofe Company's Elle Sofe Sara and performer Olga-Lise Holmen. Recorded on July 24, 2025, following their performance in the Doris Duke Theatre. Hailing from Norway, Elle Sofe Company made their U.S. debut with "Vástádus eana – the answer is land," a “powerful” (Vancouver Sun) and critically-acclaimed performance that combines dance with yoik, a traditional singing style of the Sámi people who are Indigenous to the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Supported by polyphonic music and costumes inspired by traditional clothing, the piece is inspired by political demonstrations, Sámi spiritual practices, and formation dance. "Vástádus eana – the answer is land" explores community and kinship between people, nature, and the earth. The yoik, composed specifically for the performance, serves as a musical pillar throughout a performance that reflects on the power of standing together and the awareness of the earth we all stand on and share. Company founder Elle Sofe Sara is a featured artist at the Arctic Arts Festival in Harstad and a winner of the 2019 Moon Jury Award at the Imagine Native Film Festival. Now coming to the U.S. for the first time, "Vástádus eana – the answer is land" has toured internationally, and received the 2021/2022 Norwegian Critics Award for Dance. The presentation of Elle Sofe Company is made possible in part with support from the Norwegian Consulate General in New York and the American-Scandinavian Foundation. This program is supported in part by the Neil Chrisman Fund for International Dance. Video by Nel Shelby Productions.