Vástádus eana – The answer is land

Vástádus eana - The answer is land is a musical and dance journey into the original shamanic culture of the Sámi, one of the few indigenous communities in Europe. The Sámi choreographer Elle Sofe Sara brings this combination of dance and traditional Joik singing to the stage in a colorful and fascinating way.

The seven performers sing traditional and new songs by composer and bandleader Frode Fjellheim in several voices and together form a sung landscape. It is also about the landscape, their own land and the protection of their ancestral habitat. The formerly nomadic Sámi live in the northernmost tip of Scandinavia, scattered across four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Hunting, fishing and reindeer herding formed the basis of their livelihood for centuries. Today, they are fighting for ecological balance, the preservation of their reindeer herds, their way of life and their culture.

The performers each deal vividly with their own history and a shared longing to belong. Community and kinship between people, with nature and with the earth, which we all share, are their themes.

The Norwegian radio station NRK says: "Powerful in a quiet yet magnificent way. (...) It's about what home can be, and the answer lies in the importance of community. Home is where your flock is".