Lois Greenfield

North Atlantic import: The Reykjavik-based Iceland Dance Company will present works by Peter Anderson, Olof Ingolfsdottir and Stijn Celis at their Nov. 10 performance at Brooklyn College.

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For its final show on its first U.S. tour, the 34-year-old Iceland Dance Company will make its New York City debut with Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday.

Bringing selections from its extensive contemporary dance repertoire, the group of 12 dancers will be led by veteran Artistic Director Katrin Hall.

GO Brooklyn’s Daniel Goldberg caught up with Hall to discuss modern dance, how American audiences react to Icelandic art and what exactly we can expect from the Scandinavian troupe.

GO Brooklyn: When we hear about Icelandic performers, we immediately think of Bjork. Do people ever think your performances will be wacky and out there like hers?

Katrin Hall: She is a very good example of a strong individual who has her own style, which is similar to the vision for our dance company. Since I came into the company [in 1996], I have narrowed its focus and now we only do contemporary dance. …

The board supported that vision and the cultural ministry of Iceland supported the board, so in a way, it’s a political decision as well.

GO: Why do you feel it’s important to focus on contemporary choreographers?

KH: There is no tradition for classical dance in Iceland, so it’s actually very nice because we are creating our own tradition, and as artists, we should mirror our own society.

GO: What are some of the hallmarks of Icelandic art?

KH: We put a lot of focus on the individual dancer, as a human being and as an artist. Every person is important in a society as small as Iceland’s. I put a lot of focus on the dancers and that creates a strong unison and group as well. However, in Iceland we feel it’s important to have interests other than dancing; the dancers should also follow what happens in [other artforms].

GO: How do you nurture the talent of the dancers and choreographers that work with you?

KH: We have apprentice programs and choreographic workshops where we perform two or three pieces, so individual dancers have a lot of chances to develop. There are a lot of demands on the dancers, and they grow a lot from that. They become big fish in a very small pond.

GO: How did you choose the pieces for your first American tour?

KH: We are still developing our Icelandic choreographers and giving them an opportunity to perform works in progress. The program was chosen to suit the American audience. (We’ve had four performances so far in the U.S., and they’ve been extremely successful.)

In Brooklyn, we’ll perform ‘Critic’s Choice’ by Peter Anderson with music by Otis Redding. The second piece is ‘Man is Always Alone’ by Olof Ingolfsdottir with music by Icelandic composer Hallur Ingolfsson, and the last piece of the program is by Belgian choreographer Stijn Celis called ‘Practice Paradise.’

GO: Are there any risks in doing such experimental work?

KH: We are constantly trying to expand the borders and develop the art form. The company was founded in 1973 and our role is to introduce dance to the society and create our own tradition in a way. Every creation is a risk. Every creation you start, you don’t know where it’s going to lead you. I think that’s the very interesting thing about this art form. Dance doesn’t have a script. We have to create our own activity, and that is a risk.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper