Artists at Jillat
Meet the artists currently creating at Jillat and discover who will be arriving next. Some artists welcome visits, conversations or contact with other artists, while others need an uninterrupted working period. Each profile explains what is possible during their stay.
Please respect each artist’s selected contact status. A residency may be a social and public process, or a period that requires privacy and concentration.
At Jillat now
Multidiciplinary: Vi er norden
1-5th of September 2026
A group of artists from across the Nordic region are currently working at Jillat on VI ER NORDEN — a nomadic, conceptual performance exploring the shared colonial histories of the Nordic countries and the traces they continue to leave in people, landscapes, languages and cultures.
The artists currently working at Jillat are Camara Joof, Norwegian-Gambian playwright, author and performer; Stina Aletta Aikio, Sámi-Finnish visual artist; Elisabeth Heilmann Blind, Greenlandic dancer and actor; Trondur Bogason, Faroese composer; and Ingrid Tranum Velásquez, Danish choreographer and dancer. For this part of the process, they are joined by guest artist Ole-Henrik Lifjell. Lighting design is by Mikkel Magnus Olsen.
About the work
Human trafficking across continents. Families torn apart in the name of civilization. Suppression of language and culture. Racial biology research.
VI ER NORDEN begins with the painful shared scar tissue of the Nordic countries.
Between soil, plants and glass, histories of Nordic colonialism emerge through an encounter between the personal and the historical, facts and emotions. The work unfolds within an installation created by Stina Aletta Aikio, where performers and audience enter a living and continuously transforming landscape.
Bodies, words and materials meet and reshape one another. Earth is moved, formed, dissolved and recreated, creating a sensory space where dialogue extends beyond spoken language and new connections can emerge between people, histories and place.
VI ER NORDEN is designed to change as it travels. Each time the work arrives in a new place, it is recreated through an encounter with its surroundings and a local guest artist. The residency at Jillat – Sami Dance Center forms part of this continuing process.
The work premiered at Nunatta Isiginnaartitsisarfia – The National Theatre of Greenland in Nuuk in May 2023 and has since travelled across the Nordic region.
VI ER NORDEN was originally produced in 2022–23 with support from the Danish Arts Foundation, Arts Council Norway, the Nordic Culture Fund, NAPA, the Augustinus Foundation and the Danish Composers’ Society, among others.
Open to artistic connections
The artist is interested in meeting local or visiting artists for conversation, exchange or possible future collaboration.
Public events only
The artist is not available for informal visits, but welcomes audiences at the listed public events.
Focused working period
The artist needs privacy and uninterrupted working time during this residency.
Coming to Jillat
With enormous energy and a distinctive voice in both lyrics and music, Agnes Matsdotter is a rapidly rising name in melodic pop, gaining attention from Swedish media outlets such as Nöjesguiden and P3.
Matsdotter stands out through her direct lyrics, innovative productions and, above all, a powerful voice with a strong and expressive presence. As a live performer, she brings raw energy and has been described as “an absolute star” by Norrköpings Tidningar. She gets audiences dancing and singing along — even to songs that have not yet been released — thanks to catchy choruses and memorable melodies. She has supported artists including Little Jinder, Ellen Krauss and Lars Winnerbäck.
Alongside her music, Agnes works across several artistic fields as an actor, playwright, comedian and podcaster. Among other projects, she created Sweden’s first vertical drama, “ÄKTA KÄRLEK creep/cute”, which went viral with more than three million views. She is also part of the comedy group Härke, whose satirical sketches have likewise attracted millions of views.
More recently, she has entered the world of opera as a librettist and is currently working on a satirical opera libretto. During the residency, Agnes will focus on writing — both her opera libretto and song lyrics — as well as freeing her singing voice by walking through the mountains and singing loudly, powerfully, and perhaps a little imperfectly.
Coming to Jillat
Music residency: Elin Teilus, Rickard Åström, Rebecca Meiselbach, Björn Bohlin, Mats Jenséus
20-26th of September 2026
Elin Teilus, the singer, yoiker and artist from Udtja, brings the deep resonance of the land to Jillat. A wild force of nature and a compelling storyteller, she crosses boundaries with her captivating presence and untamed voice. Her music carries vast landscapes while remaining deeply intimate, with lyrics in Lule Sámi, Swedish and English. Together with her band, she creates true magic through a seamless blend of genres—yoik, pop, rock, folk song and unique improvisations—in which the musicians carry Elin and her yoik on powerful wings.
At the heart of her artistry is a profound love for the Earth and all living things. Elin yoiks the life that is unseen and unspoken. She and the band invite you into a ceremonial world where wild rivers, mountains and forests speak to us, calling us to remember the original connection to life that exists within every human being. A concert with Elin Teilus and her band is a musical journey filled with magic, beauty and primal power—an experience far beyond the ordinary.
At the concert at Jillat, Elin and the band will offer a unique preview of new music from their forthcoming album, parts of which they are recording on site in Jillat’s studio and beautiful surroundings. Naturally, the programme will also include songs rooted in the lands of Udtja.
Joining her on stage are:
Rickard Åström – two-time Swedish Grammy Award-winning pianist and a master of intuitive performance.
Rebecca Meiselbach – queen of rhythm and beatkeeper on percussion.
Björn Bohlin – the enchanting flautist, also performing on oboe and didgeridoo.
Mats Jenséus – a roots-rock guitarist whose musical background spans rock and film music.
Previous residencies
Are you curious about previous residencies and the artists that visited us here at Jillat? Here are some of the many amazing artists that spent some time working at Jillat.
Åsa Elowsson &
Ulrica Blåeld Wedin
Dance residency
17-30th of August 2026
Åsa Elowson
Åsa Elowson is a dancer, dance educator, physiotherapist and yoga teacher whose practice brings together improvisation, community dance and dance as a form of health, presence and connection. She works across artistic, educational and care-based contexts, creating inclusive spaces where people with different bodies, experiences and abilities can find their own movement and expression. Her work is deeply informed by nature, play and a belief in the body’s own knowledge.
Ulrica Blåeld Wedin
Ulrica Blåeld Wedin is a dancer and choreographer whose movement-based practice is intuitive, reflective and closely connected to the ongoing processes of nature. Working through choreography, improvisation, video and site-specific performance, she explores the musicality of movement and the tension between control and freedom, subtlety and intensity. Her work has been presented in Sweden and internationally, across stage, public space and interdisciplinary artistic contexts.
Anniina Ukkonen
Dance residency
2-16th of August 2026
Anniina Ukkonen is a Finnish dance artist, choreographer and teacher from Tornio whose practice moves between contemporary dance, mime, mask theatre and physical expression. Her work often creates playful and accessible encounters, combining movement, character and storytelling across performances, workshops and public spaces. With a strong connection to northern contexts, children’s culture and cross-border collaboration, she brings curiosity, warmth and a distinctive physical imagination to her artistic work.
Kyrie Oda
Dance residency
3-8th of August 2026
Kyrie Oda is a dancer and choreographer whose practice has developed across the United States, Japan and Europe. Since moving to Sweden in 2017, she has worked with several Swedish companies and choreographers, while her international experience spans opera, contemporary dance, performance and interdisciplinary stage work. Her artistic background brings together precision, curiosity and a broad understanding of movement across cultures and contexts.
She brought her oldest daughter to the residency who also joined her in the work in progress performance that she shared when they were here.
Echoes Through Time… Land is a research-based artistic project that explores how histories of colonization continue to shape bodies, identities, and collective memory. Through dance, voice, sound, and participatory elements, the work invites audiences into a shared experience where personal stories intersect with broader questions of belonging, survival, and freedom.
Drawing inspiration from Sweden’s national minority languages and cultures, with a particular focus on Sámi communities, the project also engages with Indigenous perspectives from other parts of the world, including the Ainu and Ryukyuan peoples of Japan. By bringing these experiences into dialogue, the work examines how cultural memory is carried across generations and how communities sustain knowledge, resilience, and connection despite historical and ongoing forms of displacement and marginalization.
At the heart of the project lies a search for alternative ways of living together. Inspired by Indigenous knowledge systems and communal approaches to care and responsibility, Echoes Through Time… Land asks how we might imagine futures rooted in reciprocity, collective wellbeing, and respect for land and one another.
Audience participation is an essential part of the performance. Through shared acts of movement, reflection, and creation, spectators become active contributors to an evolving landscape of stories, encounters, and possibilities for the future.
The project is supported by the Swedish Arts Council, Sasakawa Foundation, Konstnärsnämnden, Region Västra Götaland, Göteborg City, Jillat Sámi Dance Center, and National Minority Theater.
Cocoon Company
Cirkus residency 14th - 27th of July 2026 at Jillat & in Storforsen
Manda Rydman - Aerialist
& Anna Mariann McKenna - Fakir
Wing It – A Circus Metamorphosis!
Inspired by the transformation of the moth, Cocoon Company invites audiences on a vibrant circus journey through the beauty, madness, and sometimes downright danger of change. Featuring aerial acrobatics, sword swallowing, and barefoot walks across broken glass.
Everything changes with time—so why resist when you can embrace the transformation?
The visual explosion of colourful costumes is an integral part of the story. Each costume is created through recycling, using discarded materials and forgotten remnants. From what has been left behind, something unique emerges—a reminder that both objects and people can be reborn, stronger and stranger than before.
About Cocoon Company
Cocoon Company is an all-female contemporary circus company that combines the immediacy of the sideshow tradition with a distinctive visual aesthetic. Drawing inspiration from science fiction, organic stage imagery, and moths, the company's artistic practice is deeply rooted in recycling and upcycling, with costume design playing a central role in the creative process.
KONTRA
Dance & music residency 13th - 26th of April 2026 at Jillat
Linn Lindström - Dancer
Stella Blanc - Dancer
David Björkén - Musician
The choreographic work on Kontra is rooted in my artistic practice, in which movement material, scores and qualities are generated by layering different kinds of information. Through text, I find rhythm and phrasing, while clear inner images create different textures and sensations.
With this work, I also want to explore the relationship between voice, breath and movement.
About Linn
Linn Lindström has her roots in Piteå, where she began studying both dance and music at an early age. She graduated from Balettakademien in Stockholm in 2020 and has since worked as a freelance dancer and choreographer within the contemporary dance field.
She enjoys working in interdisciplinary artistic contexts and is interested in contemporary social issues and interpersonal themes. Presence and a continuous, playful process of exploration are central to her artistic practice, in which movement and everyday life go hand in hand.
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Ellinor Staurbakk & Ivar Beddari
Dance & theater residency 9th - 15th of March 2025 at Jillat
In our ArtLab, we will explore the relationship between northern handicrafts and everyday activities, ways of life and weather, and our bodies and movements. Which activities and movements contain their own sounds and rhythms? Which can be understood as a form of music, and what can be translated into dance?
During the ArtLab at JILLAT – Sami Dance Center in Vuollerim, we will investigate how handicrafts and traditional crafts can be translated into dance and choreography. We will search for the potential for sound and movement within these traditions, before exploring how traditional knowledge and activities can be transformed into a contemporary artistic language for the stage.
Ivar Beddari is an actor, playwright and composer. He studied at NSKI University College in Norway, The New School for Drama in New York City and Oriveden Opisto in Finland. Alongside his freelance work as an actor, he is also an artist who produces his own performances.
His artistic practice moves between acting, movement, poetry, handicrafts, music, social commentary and cultural heritage. He is active within the performing arts field in the north and has in recent years worked with organisations and companies including Kvääniteatteri, Ferske Scener, NOOR Produksjoner, Samovarteateret and Hålogaland Teater.
He is currently touring as an actor and singer in Matka, produced by Nordnorsk Jazzsenter, for which he also wrote the script. He is also presenting Arven i Nordøst with Kalabalik, a concert and monologue performance about migration and the Kven, Sámi, Karelian and Finnish heritage of the north.
In spring 2025, he will premiere Safariland with the Kristinsdottir/Willyson company and Stilla – En forestilling with NOOR Produksjoner.
Ellinor Ødegård Staurbakk is a dancer and choreographer from Engeløya in Nordland. She trained as a dancer at the Institute of the Arts Barcelona, where she completed a bachelor’s degree, and at London Contemporary Dance School, where she completed a master’s degree.
Ellinor works nationally and internationally as a freelance dance artist, both creating her own work and performing for others. She has worked with artists and companies including Russell Maliphant, Riccardo Buscarini, Igor and Moreno, Alleyne Dance, Pan.Optikum and Panta Rei Danseteater.
She founded Ærlig Talt Produksjoner, which premiered the performance EKKO – Hymne til fjellet during Bodø Biennale 2024. The production was created in partnership with Stormen Konserthus and Bodø 2024.
Staurbakk draws strong inspiration from nature and from growing up in Northern Norway. As an artist, she is curious and enjoys testing the boundaries of movement in encounters with different natural elements. This has led, among other things, to the project Beyond the Blue, in which she explores dance in free fall through skydiving.
Ellinor is deeply committed to the development of Arctic performing arts and is currently in her fifth year as deputy chair of Forum for Nordnorske Dansekunstnere. She is also taking part in UREDD, a talent development programme run by DAVVI – Centre for Performing Arts and Talent Norway.
Guoddi
Dance residency 7th - 11th of January 2025 at Jillat
Ann-Sofie Kallok - designer and duojár
Ánna-Katri Helander - dancer
Sebastian Björkman - dancer
Guoddi
The project Guoddi represents a unique art performance as well as visual art where dance and music are sculpted through the expression of avant-garde duodji. These elements, deeply rooted in the Sami craft tradition, move towards highly experimental forms of expression. "Guoddi", a word from the Northern Sami language that means someone who carries, in this context becomes a metaphor for the role of the dancers.
They wear body parts that symbolize pride and strength, but also the weight and burden that carrying an indigenous culture can entail. Guoddi is thus a central element in this performance, a bearer of cultural identity and history. Through a creative collaboration between designer and duojár Ann-Sofie Kallok, dancers Ánna-Katri Helander and Sebastian Björkman and composer Anthoni Hætta, a new and exciting artistic landscape is explored, where the body elements not only influence, but determine the direction of the other art forms.
The composer and dancers draw inspiration from the expression, movement and temperament of the elements. In the final product, music and dance are united in a way that elevates the avant-garde elements into a powerful, challenging and multidimensional performance. This performance is not just a dance, but a symbiosis of art forms that together create a unique and memorable experience.
