Gerd Kjølaas (b. 22. May 1909, Trondheim, d. 3. February 2000) is called “The Founder of Dance in Norway “. Her primary education was under Inga Jacobi a well known Norwegian teacher in “fridans”: in expressionist dance in the late 1930’s in England under Kurt Jooss : and in classical ballet at The Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD). Her debut as a dancer was in 1931.
In the 1946 -1947 season, Gerd Kjølaas was invited to perform with Ballet Jooss on their tours in the United States and Great Britain. Kjølaas was greatly inspired by Jooss’s approach to dance.
Expressionist Dance
Expressionist dance arose in the early 1900’s as a protest against the artistic stagnation of classical ballet. Generally speaking, the movement saw ballet as being too austere, mechanical and inflexible. Expressionist dance was freer, more natural and less governed by strict rules, and was strongly influenced by the expressionistic visual arts. Dancers disposed of corsets and pointe shoes in the search for a greater freedom of movement.
Germany was the home of expressionistic dance, typified by the works of Mary Wigman and Harald Kreutzberg. The best known choreographer of this style was Kurt Jooss, who produced a series of modern dance works which were very influential in their time. (Clarke, 1980) In 1946 the German Ballet Jooss, visited Oslo and performed at the Det Norsk Teateret (Norwegian Theatre). It was a great inspiration for Norwegian dancers. The Green Table (1932) was considered his crowning choreographic achievement, and is still performed today as part of the repertoires of many companies. Ballett Jooss was at the time, the world’s most famous ensemble in expressionistic dance. (Caldwell, 2015)
Jooss believed that modern dance, with a base in classical ballet, could be a vehicle for social issues, rather than just the retelling of fairy tales. Jooss used the defined movement qualities of his mentor Laban to represent emotional states in his choreography.
That a Norwegian dancer and choreograph, danced with Ballett Jooss, was of enormous significance to the development of dance in Norway. This knowledge gave Kjølaas, and later the Norwegian dance scene, a unique insight into international dance trends. While on tour with Jooss, Kjølaas saw that dancers who studied both classical ballet and modern dance, had a greater range of expression, and was convinced that this was the future of dance instruction. When she returned to start her own school in Oslo, this new approach, was to influence students like Henry Haagensen, who gained an insight into modern dance techniques and expressionistic choreography, through Kjølaas.
Norwegian Dance Studio
Kjølaas established the Norwegian Dance Studio at Bygdøy in September 1947, together with Louise Browne (b. 1906 Madison, USA – d. York, 1996), a noted American-born dancer, singer, actress and ballet teacher. In the 1930s Browne held the world record for pirouettes (over 80 consecutive rotations). Louise was born in Madison, USA and began her dance career in New York musicals and The Zeigfeld Follies. She came to London in 1927 to star in The Girl Friend at the Palace Theatre, on September 8th. The Girl Friend was a great success in London and ran for 421 performances. Browne married the English diplomat and MI6 officer, Captain Keith Liversidge, who moved to Norway in 1945 to work at the British embassy in Oslo. It was after seeing one of Kjølass’s ballets; Mot Ballade, that Louise contacted Kjølass with a proposal to establish a new school in Oslo.
Mot Ballade
Mot Ballade (1945) was one Kjølaas’s most important ballets. It was inspired by a Hans E. Kinck’s short story, with the same title, to music by the Norwegian composer, Tore Sinding. The production was first performed on the open air stage at the Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History) at Bygdøy, then later at the Det Norske Teateret, all together 15 performances. The ballet later travelled on tour with Rikstreateret (National Theatre).
In the ballet, Gerd Kjølaas used Norwegian motifs, Norwegian nature and had an all-Norwegian cast. The critic Hans Heiberg said after the premiere, “A daring and memorable ballet by a Norwegian company.” (Norsk Biografisk Leksikon, 2019)
Out in the international ballet world, a debate raged between supporters of classical ballet and those who felt expressionistic dance was the future. In Norway, on the outskirts of Europe’s cultural life, this debate came somewhat later, and has in many instances, never left. These two dance pioneers, did not let this discord disrupt their work. In the studio at Bygdøy, Browne instructed in classical ballet and Gerd Kjølaas expressionistic dance. This fruitful co-operation put both approaches to dance training on an equal footing, where each style enriched the other. It was quite an innovation at the time, and ruffled the feathers of some established classical ballet teachers in Norway. Browne and Kjølaas believed that rivalry was a destructive distraction from the development of an accomplished dancer and their fresh approach attracted many new students, including 22 year old Henry Haagensen.
Not only did Kjølaas and Browne establish a school, but they also established a dance ensemble, the Ny Norsk Ballett (New Norwegian Ballett), which had its premier on the 7th of May 1948. This company was to become in 1958, Den Norske Operas Ballett becoming Nasjonalballetten (Norwegian National Ballett) in 1983. (Hansteen, 1989 P97) The name included “new” out of respect for the pioneer work laid down by Gyda Christensen’s ensemble at the National Theatre a generation earlier. (Vollnes, 2010 P116)
June 1948, 16 dancers performed their first concert on an open-air stage at the Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History) at Bygdøy, with amongst other dances, Veslefrikk med fela (1948) (Little Frick with his Fiddle 1952). Tyrihans (1948) was another of the ballets performed at the Museum. These concerts were performed each evening during the summer months from 1948 until 1951. Henry did not dance in the first season being still a student at the time, and not a professional dancer, at the Norwegian Dance Studio. Other choreographies were Markisen (1950), and later Svein Uredd (1957).
Norsk Folkemuseum
In the summer of 1949, the company was doing very well artistically and economically, having received a yearly governmental grant. Kjølaas and Browne decided to increase the number of dancers to 20 in order to perform larger choreographies. One of the new dancers was Henny Műrer, and another was Henry Haagensen. Henry and Henny were to become good friends. There were now six male dancers in the ensemble and Henry had become a professional dancer after three years studying dance.
Henny Műrer studied at Rita Tori’s ballet school, was later a soloist with Operaballetten (The Norwegian Opera), a choreographer in both Norway and overseas and the first principal of the Statens balletthøgskole (National Ballet School) in 1979. (Kjølaas, 1998 P95) (Vollnes, 2010 P248). The school was recently re-named Avdeling Dans på Kunsthøgskolen. Henry admired Henny Műrer greatly.
Kjølaas, G. (1998). Dans, ropte livet. P109
The Ny Norsk Ballett, created original Norwegian choreographies which received excellent reviews, however Kjølaas and Browne were keen to know how their work measured up overseas. So Louise suggested they take the company on a tour to north England. (Danseinformasjon, 1997)
Henry danced in many of the ensemble’s choreographies including, Fanitullen in Bygdøy in the summer of 1950. (P107 Kjølaas, 1998) This ballet was based on a dramatic Norwegian poem from 1849 by Jørgen Moe (1813-1882), about drunken debåtery that ends with a tragic murder.
Henry also performed in Gerd Kjølaas’s Tyrihans at the open air museum at Bygdøy. Tyrihans is a joyful ballet adapted from a Norwegian fairy tale using Norwegian folk dances to well-known folk melodies arranged by Stein Andersen, who accompanied the ensemble on the piano. Henry also danced the monk in another of Kjølaas’s choreographies, Mot Ballade.
Christmas 1950, Henry danced in the role of Prince in Cinderella (Askepott) and husband in Julekveld (Christmas eve). The details of other roles can be found on the page Career and Photo Gallery.
Return to Narvik
In her oral history, Kirsten Lian neé Foshaug, a student and later colleague of Haagensen, said that the main reason Henry decided to move back to Narvik late 1950, was that he had damaged his back and was, with his slight build, unable to lift dancers anymore.
A common problem faced by male dancers, is lower-back injury resulting from the lifting. In Henry’s case, he had not studied dance as a child and hence lacked the necessary strength training, and with only a few years of dance studies behind him before he danced professionally, he did not have the physical strength to partner. This would have been an enormous handicap, even in expressionist dance, where partnering was not as common as in classical ballet at this point of time. So at the age of twenty five, Henry’s professional career as a dancer was over and he returned to Narvik where he joined Narvik Vel’s Teaterlag and started his ballet school.
Sources
Clarke, M. a. (1980). The History of Dance. London: Orbis Publishing Limited.
Caldwell, R. (2015, 12 01). Dance Teacher. Hentet fra Kurt Jooss: Dance theater with a soical conscience: uploaded from https://www.dance-teacher.com/history-kurt-jooss-2392715870.html
Kjølaas, G. (1998). Dans, ropte livet. Skillingsfors: Tone Westad. https://www.nb.no/items/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010082008134
Video interview by Tone Westad og Ragni Kolle of Gerd Kjølaas (f. 1909 / d. 2000) One hour recorded 11/12-1997 at Majorstuen, Oslo https://www.danseinfo.no/dansearkivet/intervjuer/2885-gerd-kjolaas
60 photos of Louise Brown in the National Portrait Gallery https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp18042/louise-browne
Vollnes, A. (2010). Norges opera & balletthistorie. Oslo: Opera Forlag
Hansteen, V. (1989). Historien om norsk ballett. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
Norsk Ballett Historie uploaded 1019.03.27 https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norsk_balletthistorie
Bagackas, T. (2014, 12 16). Dansehistorisk dobbeltlansering onsdag 17. desember kl. 1300:. Hentet fra Kulturkompasset: Veslefrikk med Fela (1948, filmet 1953, prisbelønt ved utenlandske festivaler)
This page is written by Fiona Jane Ellingsen and based on extensive research in local Narvik newspapers, films on NRK, Henry Haagensens personal archives and research in works about dance in Norway.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Cover photo is available from Norske Folkemuseum Credit: Ny norsk ballett på friluftsteateret, NF349, i 1949 med forestillingen ” Mot Ballade “