Stellaris DansTeater
40 years in 2020
A border crossing company from The Barents Region
Stellaris DansTeater (SD) is a professional independent company based in Hammerfest (Norway), with activity and touring mainly in the Barents/Northern regions. The company was established in 1980 and is today the oldest active independent dance company in Norway, and likely the world's northernmost in this category.
SD has always had a high level of activity and a high degree of implementation of its projects. Today we work project based and apply to various funding schemes for our activity. SD produces 2-5 scenic productions per year and initiates several art and cultural projects. The company is managed by dance artists Solveig Leinan-Hermo and Marie Hermo Jensen, who are also artistic and administrative leaders for the company.
SD has placed great emphasis on cross-border cultural collaboration, and our high level of activity has created a large and strong professional network. Today, we collaborate with various professional artists, institutions and companies in The Barents Region (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia), the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) as well as Aotearoa in New Zealand.
In addition to stage productions, the company work with site-specific experiences and short film productions, which have been shown both nationally and internationally; in cinema, television, during stage productions and at various events. SD was originally established as a works for Leinan-Hermo productions, but over time has also evolved to become a production company for many creative, performing and newly established artists in several genres as more artist groups have become involved in our projects.
Through many years of work, SD has contributed to grow in the performing arts locally, nationally and internationally. SD has established DanseFestival Barents in 2003 and worked long term to establish the Northern Norwegian regional scene for Dance, which was founded by the County Municipalities in Finnmark, Troms, Nordland and Hammerfest municipality in 2004, which later changed its name to Dansearena nord in 2010. The dance school SD established has been handed over to Hammerfest Cultural School. SD was also one of the advocates for the Arctic Cultural Centre, which is Hammerfest municipality's cultural center and which had its official opening on January 17, 2008 - with two studios and stages especially designed for dance under the patent of SD. Leinan-Hermo was one of the founders of the Forum for Northern Norwegian Dance Artists (1989), and has invested a great deal of work in the Barents Dance Network since 2003. Since 2010 SD has also worked actively in performing arts in New Zealand through Stellaris Dance NZ and in collaboration with Waikato Contemporary Dance Projects Trust.
