As the crisp breeze of fall slowly settles in, the idea emerges of warm sweaters and downtown strolls, latte in hand. This year, NAC Dance aims to enhance your fall experience with its Nordic Screendance, a free outdoor event for dance lovers and cinephiles alike.
From September 22 to 25, a series of seven short films from each of the five Nordic countries will illuminate the NAC Kipnes Lantern with a diverse range of dance expressions in various stunning settings, created especially for the camera. This series will spotlight the creativity of dance-film artists from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
When the NAC became a supporting partner of Nordic Bridges, a year-long initiative led by Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, the NAC Dance team's creative juice started flowing. The success of the summer 2021 Lantern Film Festival – where English Theatre, Indigenous Theatre and Dance joined forces and creatively brought art to the public during a very challenging time for the industry – immediately came to mind. The team jumped on the occasion to recreate this experience, but this time with a Nordic flare.
“The wish is to inspire the audience with the performing arts, and with the beauty of dance in particular. With the Kipnes Lantern, we furthermore have a chance to bring free arts programming to the city, animate this amazing platform with exciting original work, and showcase work by artists that the public may otherwise never see. Our partnership with Nordic Bridges is such a great opportunity to focus this programming on a region and literally elevate it!” – NAC Dance
In collaboration with Swedish-based Nordberg Movement, an organization that develops and disseminates choreographic works, a list of 25 films was recommended to the team. Criteria such as length, style, country of origin, diversity, and cinematography were considered in the selection process. In the end, seven films met all the requirements and provided balance in mood and variety.
Totalling 35 minutes in length, the series will be visible from different viewpoints along the Elgin Street entrance to the NAC. Equipped with a high-performance speaker system installed for the occasion, pedestrians and NAC patrons will be able to enjoy a larger-than-life sensory experience. The series will be screened three times each night.
Nordic Screendance is curated by NAC Dance in partnership with Nordberg Movement (Sweden). The series is part of Nordic Bridges, which fosters exchange between the Nordic Regions and Canada. This year-long initiative is led by Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre and is supported by Canadian partners, such as the National Arts Centre.
For more information on the series line-up, please visit: Nordic Screendance
