Forgotten Stories
Choreographer Simone Grøtte uses dance to tell true stories about real people. Her upcoming performance sheds new light on war history in Northern Norway, including the experiences of her own grandfather.
“I want to tell the story of the small individual in the big war,” says Simone Grøtte, late one Sunday night on the telephone from Hammerfest. Monday marks the start of rehearsals for her new dance performance Glemt (Forgotten), which will premiere at the Arctic Arts Festival in Harstad in June. This autumn, it will also be featured at Black Box Theatre in Oslo. This time, the choreography is created around fragments of Northern Norway’s war history, archival audio-recordings of war veterans and through conversations with her own grandfather. In the coming weeks, this will all materialize on stage.
What made you want to tell this particular story?
“The great thing about dance is that it can convey stories, moods and feelings on a more abstract level, so that the public can create their own interpretations. I hope this performance will enable the audience to reflect on the past, perhaps inspiring them to ask their own grandparents about what they went through during the war. The people who actually lived through this time belong to a generation that is slowly dying, and these stories could die with them.”
So is this your contribution to preserving war history?
“By learning about what my grandfather went through during World War II, I’ve gotten to know myself better as well. The performance deals largely with human will, the capacities we have as human beings to live through ordeals, and the way we cope with conflict. Our war history says something about the human ability to rise up again after horrible experiences. This motivates and inspires me in my own life, and I think it may do so for others as well.”
You’ve received praise in the past for using local stories as a starting point for discussing broad, existential questions. Is that also the case here?
“I always start with my own life and my own North-Norwegian Sámi culture, but I hope there’s something there that resonates with everyone. My Sami identity is imbued in everything I do, but I try to use it in a modern form when I’m on stage. Ultimately it’s all about identity. I want everything I create to have universal value.”
How can dance be made accessible to as many people as possible?
“This is one of the most important questions for me when I create my performances. If I can inspire someone who’s never seen a dance performance before attend one of my shows, then I’m very happy. When I work around a theme that people can actually relate to – for instance war history, or, as in my previous performance, the supernatural – I see that many people attend because it’s something that is known to them, something close-at-hand. The story is familiar even though the form of expression may be new.”
Your mentor is none other than famous Norwegian choreographer Jo Strømgren . What has it been like to work with his company?
“I’m the first to have the opportunity to do this kind of training with them, and I’ve learned enormously from the experience. Jo Strømgren himself often chooses themes that many people are familiar with, so we’re a very good match.”
This interview was written for the Arctic culture magazine Høtt. Glemt (Forgotten) is produced in collaboration with Arctic Arts Festival premiered on 24 June 2017. It will be shown at Black Box in Oslo in November.