Come Dance with Me!

Article about the book release including a film about Henry Haagensen click here

Order your copy: here

Books will be available for pick up or postage from the 21st February, 2023.

This book contains informative discussions about dance in Narvik, many anecdotes and insights into dance instruction, information about past concerts and student recitals. It includes the details of many of the locally produced dance productions in Narvik from the 1950’s until the present day, as well as a short history of Narvik Music School (Narvik Kommunale Musikkskole, later Narvik Kulturskole).


site pages guide

Some of the reseach behind the book, as well as extra material like full role lists and films from recitals and shows in Narvik, is published below. Click on the links to access the pages. This site is under constant revision and many of the categories are still incomplete.

VUs høyeste utmerkelse, Sølvslegga, var utdelt til Narvik Kulturskole 26. mars 2023
Foreword

BOOK RELEASE was 21st February 2023. Click here

Newspaper article “Dansens historie i bokform about the book in Norwegian Click here

Testimonials

Dypdykk i Narviks dansehistorie – intervju med Fiona Jane Ellingsen

PodcastKom skal vi dans intervju med Fiona Jane Ellingsen November 2, 2022

Dance Takes Root in Narvik – Gunvor Bjørhus ballet

BUL Narvik

Henry Haagensen Life and Career:
– Early Years
– Ny Norsk Ballett
– Tours Overseas with Ny Norsk Ballett
Career and Photo Gallery
Narvik Teaterlag 1945 – 1955
Henry Haagensens Ballettskole 1951- 1954
Henry Haagensen returns to Oslo 1954 – 1957
Henry Haagensens Ballettskole 1957-1981
Henry Haagensen, the teacher
The legacy of Henry Haagensen

Henry Haagensen choreographies:
Anniversary shows:
– 10th Jubilee (1962)
– 15th Jubilee (1967)
– 20th Jubilee (1973)
– 25th Jubilee (1978)
Skal vi dains for dæ? (1978)
Disco Fashion Show (1979)
Henry Haagensen’s filmed choreographies
Photo Gallery – Aud Ljunggren Collection
Photo Gallery from Haagensen’s ballets

Kirsten Lian née Foshaug:
Kirsten Lian (Norwegian text)
Kirsten Lians Ballettskole 1982-1993
Dido and Aeneas (1991)
Chess In Concert (1992)
Dido and Aeneas (1996)
Czardasfyrstinnen (1997)
Kirsten Lian’s filmed choreographies
Photo Gallery from Lian’s ballets

Narvik kulturskole
Founding of the community music school in Narvik
Bestillingsverk
– 1990 Roasme
– 1995 Bak mørke vintrar venter ein vår
– 2006 Áhkunjárga

Central projects in the community school
Balletten 2000 trinn
Barnas VU
Barn og unges dans – Dance for Children (1993-1996)
Blekkulf
Cell Block Tango
Christmas Recitals: 1997 – 2005
Dansens uke (1994)
Dans Som Kulturell Bro (1997-1998)
DRAMUDA (1997)
Dyrene i Hakkebakkeskogen
End of Year Concerts: 1996 – 2006
FINN – Harstad: Rallarballetten
Grease (2005)
Kulturtrøkk (2006)
40th Anniversary Concert – La Skogen Leve (1993)
50th Anniversary Concert (2003)
60th Anniversary Concert (2013)
Move (2008)
Nasjonalballetten Nord-Norge Turne 1994: Bélas Bro
Nøtteknekkeren – The Nutcracker (2004)
Peter and the Wolf (2004)
Sigøynerliv (1999)
Snødronning (2018)
Stjerner på Plakaten – A Chorus Line (2003)
Tante Grønn, Tante Brunn og Tante Fiolett (2005)
Viktoria Cats (2001)

Interviews
Aud Ljunggren
Olav Sigurd Alstad
Inger Louise Bjarkøy Henschien neé Andersen

Alex Beeton

Performances and study trips overseas

Student portraits
Heidi Ruud Ellingsen
Malin Wongraven (tid. Pettersen)
Ingrid Søraas

Diverse articles on culture in Narvik in Norwegian
Historien on Teatersalen – Narvik Kulturhus
Elrid Jakobsen
Barneteateret i Narvik

Henry Haagensens Ballet School, 1951 at Bondeheimen (later Albatross). Top: from the left Elise Turid?, remainder unknown. Row 2: from the left, Elin Brattberg, Kjersti Røsok, unknown, Sissel Sørensen, Inger-Lise Sund Petersen. Front row: from the left Frid-Lillian Bergfall and Kirsten Lian neé Foshaug Photo: Carl Knudsen Source: Facebook post Ulf Ragnar Hanssen, Narvik før og Nå June 24th 2018

About the author

The author of this site is Fiona Jane Ellingsen, whose intimate knowledge of dance has been gained over a period of fifty years. She grew up in Australian, where she took her dance education under Margaret Chapple, at the Bodenweiser Dance Center in Pitt St, Sydney; one of the few schools of modern dance in Australia at the time. The school offered a wide range of contemporary dance techniques. The school’s founder was the pioneer of modern dance, Gertrud Bodenweiser. Bodenweiser was Professor of the Vienna State Academy of Music and Dancing and formed a Central European style dance group before she emigrated to Australia just prior to WWII in 1938 and founded a school and company.

After graduating from Sydney University in 1978, Fiona worked in ACT schools where she established Dance Studies for college students. She also taught dance to the gymnastic teams at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra.

Fiona moved to Norway in 1987. She established dance instruction in Narvik musikkskole, later kulturskole, where she worked from the early 1990’s until her retirement from dance teaching in 2005. She currently works as as an English teacher at Narvik Upper Secondary School, Frydenlund.

This site is based on extensive research in newspapers, dance journals, films on NRK, conversations with Henry Haagensen, Kirtsten Lian née Foshaug, interviews with their pupils, and research into their personal archives and other institutional archives. Personal experience from working in Narvik council as a consultant, dance teacher and music producer in the period 1990-2006. The author has also conducted extensive research into dance in Norway.

Scattered throughout this site is informative discussions about dance in Narvik and contains many anecdotes and insights into dance instruction, past concerts and recitals. The site will eventually include all dance productions conducted in Narvik from the early 1990’s until the present day.

If you would like to contribute to the site, you are welcome to contact the author.

Gertrud Bodenwieser (1890-1959), by Clif Peir, c1950
National Library of Australia, nla.pic-an14096641