Leiv Eriksson International Festival 2013
26 Years
To build a cultural bridge between the modern
Nordic countries and the United States
Patina Dance Troupe of Orkdal, Norway Makes U.S. Debut
In the antique trade, patina refers to the extraordinary glow that only comes with age, a trait Patina mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers of rural Orkdal, Norway exhibit in abundance. As part of the 2013 Leiv Eriksson International Festival (LEIF) and performed at the Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 at 6:30 p.m., women of the Norwegian countryside share their lives in dance and reveal to the audience that life after 70 or 80 can be exciting and carries with it a wisdom and beauty of its own.
The 27 women of Patina, ages 70 to 88, redefine our concept of beauty and show how wrinkles, saggy bottoms, droopy breasts and bingo wings are badges of honor that tell beautiful stories and distinguish who we are.
Beauty in today’s world is associated with the perfect, retouched and unattainable images of youth. Young is beautiful! is the adage, so we tend to loathe and conceal signs of aging. It’s as if the inevitable fact of our own mortality is a threat to life’s self-esteem and success. It can be quite the opposite.
Written and choreographed by Norwegian ballet star Arne Fagerholt, Patina celebrates the beauty, strength, wisdom, and experience of the daughters and grand-daughters of the women who fought for and won the right to vote in Norway exactly 100 years ago. These women from rural Norway redefine our notions of beauty through a show that, in Fagerholt’s words, “is finally their turn to be noticed, to be the center of our attention, and to share their stories with us!” The performance reaffirms the radiance of life at all ages.
The dance troupe’s choreographer, Arne Fagerholt, also from Orkdal, is well-known throughout Europe and studied at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts from 1980 to 1983. He has been a
member of the National Ballet as well as one of its soloists and choreographers, an actor in
Norway’s National Theatre, and the director of Norway’s national contemporary dance company, Carte Blanche. He recently was appointed to the Norwegian Cultural Council by His Majesty King Harald V.
For tickets, contact the State Theatre Box Office, 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 10:00 a.m. Mon. – Fri. or noon to 3:00 p.m. Saturdays. For more ticket information, call 612.339.7007. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster online at www.Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1.800.982.2787; handling fees applied. Tickets will be available beginning Sept. 1.
Contact: Marit Kringstad, 612.280.9195, marit@nordic-home.com or
Orlyn Kringstad, 612.280.6520, orlyn.kringstad@oslocenter.us