Dance Takes Root in Narvik

Dance During Occupation

Kirsten Ruth Lian neé Foshaug, (1942- ) one of Narvik’s most loved and respected ballet teachers, said that some dance was taught before, during and immediately after WWII. The first dance teacher was probably Solveig Rasch Tellefsen, a piano teacher who included small dance numbers in her children’s theater group, Narvik Arbeiderpartiets Barnelags Barneteateret and Arbeiderungdomslagets dramatiske klubb in the early 1930’s. She later moved to Trondheim. (Fremover, 1932; Bjarne Amundsen, 1968; Lian, 2019) Tellefsen was a member of Narvik Music Teachers Association (Narvik Musiklærerforening) which was founded on the 6^th of October 1931. Another founding member was the piano teacher Elrid Jakobsen who ran a music kindergarten. There are many colourful stories about Jakobsen’s lessons which I will come back to later. The organisation administered private music instruction for forty years from 1931 to 1971 and the majority of its members were piano teachers.  (Narvik Musiklærerforening, 1931-1971)

Gunvor Bjørhus – Narvik Dance Institute

In 1937, Bjørhus established Narvik Dance Institute (also referred to as Bjørhus Ballet), described in contemporary sources as the first organized dance school in Narvik. The school offered instruction for both children and adults and included ballroom dancing, folk dancing, tap, and theatrical dance, which she referred to as “plastic.”

Classes were held at various locations in Narvik, including the former Folkets Hus, which was later destroyed during the bombing in 1940, Tøttavangen, and the Royal Hotel. During the German occupation, dance was subject to restrictions, which affected dance instruction in Narvik. After the Second World War, the school used premises in a barracks near the German soldiers’ home (Soldatenheim), Håkonshallen (Narvik).

Bjørhus was also responsible for several stage productions and student performances, including children’s theatre and dance performances for the public. The production Princess Solgull (1947) was staged by Narvik Red Cross Children’s Theatre under the direction of Esther Jervan, with choreography by Bjørhus. The performance was presented at Narvik Lodge in Frydenlund on April 28 and May 1, 1947, with around 20 participating children aged 7–13.

Bjørhus began her pedagogical career in Trondheim in 1925, where she ran a dance school together with Gunvor Scheen. She received her dance training at Svae’s dance school in Oslo and also studied with an English dancer. She followed impulses from the European dance scene travelling to Paris. She later became a member of the British Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.
Before settling permanently in Narvik, Bjørhus spent seven years touring Northern Norway and taught in a number of towns, including Steinkjer, Tromsø, Harstad, and Mosjøen.

Perhaps because she was childless and loved children, she worked to raise money for kindergartens and playgrounds as well as taught dance. Together with Diddi Torjussen, she established the Children’s Red Cross in Narvik (Røde Kors Barnehjelpen) in 1945. She had earlier worked to raise money during occupation as shown in a photograph entitled Bjørhus ballett from a 1943 Red Cross charity recital. It pictures a soloist surrounded by ten dancers in costumes that reflects the limited access to fabric during the war as they were ingeniously homemade with black satang and light blue crepe paper. (Svendsen, 2002 P214; Breen, 2022)

One of the school’s first students was 10-year-old Sissel Anne Braham Breen née Evjen (1936 -). Her mother, Ragnhild Evjen, was a close friend of Gunvor Bjørhus having met through their work building a playground in Frydenlund for local children. Through word of mouth amongst Narvik’s still small population, Narvik Dance Institute attracted many, mostly female, pupils. Bjørhus was a gentle kind teacher whom Sissel called “Aunty Dance” (Tante Dans). She endeared in her pupils the joy of expression through movement. As a daughter of a prominent doctor, Kristian J. Evjen, Sissel Anne’s family could afford both dance and piano lessons, although her father considered dance a rather frivolous pastime. Her mother on the other hand was an enthusiastic supporter.  Initially Sissel Anne took ballroom dance lessons where the children were dressed in their finest and danced the polonaise and other social dances to the accompaniment of a pianist.  

In 1947 Bjørhus staged the ballet Sleeping Beauty at Håkonshallen in Kirkeparken, where she ran her school. The costumes and scenography give the impression that it was more of a pantomime than a ballet. It is also one of the few public photographs in existence of Bjørhus and her school. The pupils rehearsed on the stage in Håkonshallen which was built by the occupation forces and officially opened on the 28^{th of} August 1942.

A year later, Bjørhus staged Flowers in the Garden Party (Blomsterfesten i haven) in the spring of 1948. It consisted of a two act children’s ballet she had choreographed from a picture book written and illustrated by the Swedish author, Elsa Beskow in 1914. The main character Lisa sits alone on the stairs outside her house. It’s Mid-Summer Evening, and she’s been weeding and raking in the garden all day, while Grandma has been decorating inside. When Grandma leaves to deliver some yarn, Lisa is left alone to celebrate the evening among the flowers.

The actor Julian Power had a role in ballet, which was accompanied by Narvik Salong Orchestra (later Narvik Byorkester) to the music of Tchaikovsky. The costumes were sewn by Greta Hvaring née Lian’s mother. Sissel Anne, who danced the role of the White Lilac, vividly recalls being encouraged to smile, and how beautiful it was to dance to a live orchestra. She danced until Gunvør Bjørhus left Narvik to open a ballet school in Fredrikstad in 1950. (Bjarne Amundsen, 1968; Fremover, 1948;  Breen, 2022)

There is little else known about dance instruction during this period. If you have information about Gunvor Bjørhus, please go to the Dance in Narvik website to contribute, or contact the author.

Henry Haagensen (b. 25. September 1925 – d. 2^nd March 1999) founded Henry Haagensens Ballett School in 1951. (Haagensen, Danseprosjekt 1993/1997 i Narvik kommune, 1992) (Nordlands Framtid, 1951) (Harstad Tidende, 1964)

This page is written by Fiona Jane Ellingsen and based on extensive research in local Narvik newspapers, films on NRK, Henry Haagensen’s personal archives and scrapbook and research in works about dance in Norway.
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