Frikar
Established specialists in the traditional acrobatic Halling dance, Frikar frequently perform alongside break dancers, capoeiristas and contemporary dancers with their crew of 23 dancers and 6 musicians and 3 technicians. The crew has shared the stage with other well-known acrobatic companies such as the Cirque du Soleil, and also played a key role in the recent premiere of the new work ‘Yr’ featuring violinist Ragnhild Hemsing at the Bergen International Festival – a massive and spectacular undertaking that broke new ground with its combination of outdoor dance and spectacular extreme sports stunts. Fronted by charismatic and extrovert troupe leader Hallgrim Hansegård, Frikar has managed to revitalize the image of Norwegian folk dance in the minds of the general public through an athletic and youthful approach to the traditional dance forms. Unquestionably, the Frikar crew is best known to the wider public for their acrobatic displays performed to accompany Eurovision Song Contest winner Alexander Rybak and his mammoth hit Fairytale. In addition to this high-profile exposure, the Frikar Dance Company has also performed with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and The National Ballets of Norway and Zimbabwe. The Frikar dancers have also served as models for the moves of highly successful computer game “Age of Conan”. For Folkelarm, dance company Frikar has created a spectacular show that features a fusion of traditional Norwegian Halling dance, Brazilian capoeira and breakdance. ‘Mjølk’ (Milk) features a meeting between three farm-boys on their daily commute to the milk ramp. The milk-collecting van fails to materialise and the three, bored guys are left to themselves. The show focuses on the surrealism that can unfold when three restless acrobats are left with nothing to do.In addition to the Frikar dancers, ‘Mjølk’ also features two young and vital performers, fiddler Andreas Ljones (of Majorstuen fame) and percussionist Andreas Bratlie.
Headlines:
Himmelkvad
Celebrated vocal ensemble Nordic Voices is currently out on its promo tour for their new outing ‘Himmelkvad’, a critically acclaimed album presenting Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen’s unique vocal universe. MIC Norway takes a closer look at the cutting-edge vocal ensemble and ground-breaking composer.
I was the devil in my younger years
Late Feb sees Enslaved heading out on a month-long European tour. MIC Norway hooked up with Enslaved’s Ivar Peersen to talk about musical cross pollination, inspirational sources, humour and his fascination for singer-songwriter Stein Torleif Bjella.
