Inauguration of Jillat, the Sami Dance Center

Jimmy Lundegård
Dec 31, 2024
9 min read

On the 15th and the 16th of November 2024, we opened up the doors to the worlds first Sami Dance Center, We had 150 guests in total, from 21 different countries. Six courses of food was served while four hours of program with dance performances and speeches enriched the experience.

The world’s first Sámi dance center – Jillat Samiskt Danscenter – opened its doors in the village of Vuollerim, Jokkmokk municipality, northern Sweden. The center, founded by Lule Sámi dancer Liv Aira, held a two-day inauguration on 15–16 November 2024 attended by local residents, invited guests, and international visitors.

Júhan Niila Stolka and Jessika Lövbrand - Photo Tor Tuorda

Swedish Sámi media reported the milestone prominently:

Sveriges Radio’s Sameradion announced that in Vuollerim “the world’s first Sámi dance center” was being inaugurated, noting Aira as the initiator and that the center includes workshop space for other arts sverigesradio.se. Sameradion detailed the schedule: a VIP opening for the local community on Friday evening, November 15, followed by the formal opening event open to all on Saturday, November 16 sverigesradio.se.

Public Broadcaster Coverage (Sveriges Radio & SVT Sápmi)

Sweden’s public broadcasters provided on-site news coverage. SVT Sápmi (the Sámi news service of Swedish Television) reported from the grand opening on November 16, highlighting that around 100 guests were treated to performances alongside a six-course dinner during a four-hour program svt.se. SVT Sápmi quoted an enthusiastic Liv Aira saying the moment “feels very exciting and energizing” svt.se. The SVT article recounted how the once-abandoned museum building (empty for nine years) had been transformed into a ~400 m² dance center with funding of 3.6 million SEK granted in late 2023, making it a unique venue “first of its kind in the world” for dance and art in Sápmisvt.se. Aira and a team of Sámi dancers had already spent a week together in the space to build a special atmosphere before inviting the public, which made the opening “feel super beautiful,” she told SVTsvt.se.

Sveriges Radio’s Sameradion also ran a brief piece on November 15 emphasizing the historic nature of the project. It noted that “the world’s first Sámi dance center” was being opened in Vuollerim and that “the founder is Liv Aira, a Lule Sámi dancer” sverigesradio.se. Sameradion’s report underscored community involvement in the opening: a Friday night program for the local population followed by Saturday’s official inauguration for everyone sverigesradio.se. (The Sameradion segment was accompanied by a short radio clip as well.) On social media, Sameradion och SVT Sápmi’s Facebook page later shared scenes from the celebration, describing how the inauguration event was filled with “performance, music, dance and food” for the attendeesfacebook.com.

Cultural & Regional Press Coverage

Independent cultural media and regional outlets provided more in-depth features. Swedish culture magazine Syre published a lengthy article on November 15, 2024, framing Jillat’s opening in a broader context. Syre introduced Jillat (which “means ‘tindra’ [to twinkle] in Lule Sámi”) as “the world’s first Sámi dance center”, and included reflections from Liv Aira on the center’s importance for the Sámi people tidningensyre.se. “For a people who have been oppressed for so many generations, I think it’s extra important that there are places where we can practice and develop our culture,” Aira told Syre. The article described a week-long residency leading up to the opening, in which Aira invited 11 Sámi dance artists to collaboratively “explore and establish what we want the dance center to be”. Syre also noted that Jokkmokk’s municipality, Region Norrbotten, and Riksteatern Norrbotten organized a concurrent local arts festival “Vuollerim i rörelse” to celebrate the inauguration, with dance activities for the community.

Notably, Syre detailed the unique format of the inaugural event. The opening night was designed as an immersive dinner-show-style performance: guests would move through indoor and outdoor spaces of the center and be served “six different dishes”, each meant to complement or “match” the live art they were seeing. “The audience will travel both inside and outside the venue and enjoy great food – six different dishes that in some way match the performances they will see,” Aira explained, calling it a long-held dream she was “finally able to realize…in Sápmi with Sámi artists” The Syre feature also recounted the origin story of Jillat: how Aira, during her choreographer studies in Barcelona, envisioned creating a dance studio in her home region, and upon returning home discovered the beautiful but disused museum building in Vuollerim that would eventually become Jillat. The venue, a round “prize-winning design building” of wood and glass by the Lule River (as other sources described it danscentrum.se), proved an ideal location to fulfill her vision once funding and community support fell into place.

Regional news outlets in Norrbotten covered the opening with pride. Utveckla Norrbotten, a regional development website, reported on November 19, 2024 that the previously empty museum in Vuollerim had “sprung to life with the opening of the world’s first Sámi dance center – Jillat”, transforming a place where people have lived for 10,000 years into a new hub for art and creativity utvecklanorrbotten.se. The article described how decision-makers, dancers and arts promoters, locals and Sámi culture practitioners from all of Sápmi converged at the rounded timber building amid the pines and beside the Lule River for the inauguration weekend. Attendees were guided through four hours of performances, moving between different rooms and even outdoors, gathering around an open fire to experience dance pieces, film projections and music in a continuous flow.

Aleksi Niittyvuopio juggles reindeer antlers - Photo Tor Tuorda

Participants at the Jillat opening were treated to four hours of multi-sensory performances. Here, a dancer uses reindeer antlers in a piece for the inauguration audience.

Utveckla Norrbotten’s coverage included remarks from local officials and stakeholders. Liv Aira is noted as the driving visionary (and was the 2023 recipient of Norrbotten’s Rubus Arcticus art stipend). “It is a Sámi foundation we are building here in this house,” Aira said at the event, “Here the Sámi languages will be spoken… we take care of each other, and all Sámi artists can express their art without being judged”. The piece confirmed that Region Norrbotten had supported Jillat with project funding, and quoted the region’s dance consultant, Rebecka Strand: “The Sámi dance center is an important addition in our region. It improves the prospects for dance in Norrbotten – both as a meeting place and a place for creation. Jillat strengthens the ability of Sámi and regional artists to work in Norrbotten.”. Jokkmokk’s municipal chair (kommunalråd) Henrik Blind – himself Sámi – hailed the center as “an invaluable gift for Jokkmokk, for Sápmi. Jillat will be a safe place where our hearts can be opened, stories shared, and relationships deepened”.

Henrik Blind & Liv Aira - Photo Tor Tuorda

National mainstream media also took interest. For example, Sweden’s major daily Dagens Nyheter had earlier profiled Liv Aira and her plans, calling the project “a declaration of love for Sápmi and its art” and quoting Aira’s hope “to have the feeling of Sápmi in the walls” of the centersamisktdanscenter.se. (That DN article, published in January 2024, was titled “Hon startar världens första samiska danscenter: ‘Vi förtjänar en plats’” – “She is starting the world’s first Sámi dance center: ‘We deserve a place’.”)

The Samefolket cultural magazine and other Sámi platforms also discussed Jillat around the time of its launch; for instance, a conference report in Samefolket noted that Aira’s company gave attendees a sneak peek of the center just before it opened samefolket.se. All this coverage, from local to national, underscored the significance of Jillat as a new cultural institution for the Sámi and the broader artistic community.

Minority Media & Institutional Features

In-depth perspectives appeared on platforms dedicated to minority cultures. The Swedish national minorities website Minoritet.se (operated by Sametinget, the Sámi Parliament) published a comprehensive feature titled “Samiskt danscenter invigt: Jillat har sprakat igång” (“Sámi dance center inaugurated: Jillat has sparkled to life”) in December 2024 minoritet.se. In an interview format, Minoritet.se spoke with the organizers before and after the “storslagna och sprakande invigningen” (“spectacular and sparkling inauguration”). Producer Jimmy Lundegård (of Aira Dance Company, which manages the center) described an overwhelming response: “We had 150 guests from 21 countries. About half were from various Nordic cultural institutions.”. The influx of visitors even surprised the small village of Vuollerim – “we got some panic calls from residents… the large flow of people shocked the town a bit,” Lundegård noted. He summed up the ethos of the project with the exclamation “Sápmi invites the world!”, reflecting how artists from across the globe were welcomed to this remote corner of Sápmi for the opening. Indeed, Aira and Lundegård had invited indigenous performers worldwide to take part, and many did. (Minoritet.se observed that the invited guests at the opening luncheon on Nov 16 even included a number of officials and cultural leaders with public roles)

The Minoritet.se article also explained the meaning behind the center’s name: “The Lule Sámi word jillat means to sparkle, glitter or twinkle in Swedish”, an apt image for how the center “sprakade igång” (sparked to life) with its star-studded two-day debut. The writer described the inauguration as “stjärnklar och fullspäckad” – starry and fully packed – with events running nonstop for four hours each day. Attendees moved through outdoor and indoor stations where storytelling was conveyed via meals, film, music, and dance. The piece highlighted how Jillat’s mission is not only to honor Sámi traditions but to foster new creativity: “To keep a culture alive, it’s not just about repeating our history; there must also be space to create something new…a place that allows this innovation”, Aira explained, and Jillat is meant to be “a place for exciting things and creative meetings”tidningensyre.se.

Since the opening, Jillat had already hosted community events like a “cultural breakfast” and even a film premiere (for the regional scenes of Sweden’s 2024 Christmas Calendar TV series) . Looking ahead, international residencies were lining up – Minoritet.se noted that “indigenous artists from all over the world” were booked to come work at Jillat, including guests from as far away as Australia. “This is a gift from Liv to everyone,” Lundegård said of the center, pointing to its role as a creative home where “you don’t have to explain what and who you are in relation to your identity as an indigenous or minority person” minoritet.se. Such insights from the Minoritet.se feature underscore how Jillat was portrayed not just as a local dance studio, but as a global indigenous arts node with deep community roots.

Social Media Announcements and Reactions

On social media, both official channels and community pages actively documented the opening. In the lead-up, the organizers issued calls and invitations online. For example, in September 2024 an open call was posted seeking Sámi dance artists to participate in the Jillat opening performances, noting a deadline of September 15 facebook.com. As the date neared, the Jillat Samiskt Danscenter Facebook page (and associated groups) invited the public to attend. Facebook event pages were created for the “Invigning för lokalbefolkningen” (inauguration for the local population) on Friday, Nov 15, hosted by Samiskt Danscenter and the local movement Vuollerim i Rörelse, and an “Öppen inbjudan till invigningen” (Open invitation to the inauguration) on Saturday, Nov 16, co-hosted by Samiskt Danscenter, Vuollerim i Rörelse and Liv Airafacebook.comfacebook.com. These posts spread the word that the official opening would actually happen “two times” – a preview for locals on the 15th with the same program again for all on the 16th.

In the aftermath, photos and congratulations poured in on social platforms. Sameradion & SVT Sápmi’s Facebook page posted: “Nu är Jillat – Samiskt Danscenter invigt i Vuollerim. Vi var på plats och fick ta del av invignings-eventet med performance, musik, dans och mat.” – “Now Jillat… is inaugurated in Vuollerim. We were on site and got to experience the opening event with performance, music, dance and food.” facebook.com. This gave followers a glimpse of the festivities. Local and regional cultural groups also shared highlights; for instance, Norrbotten’s arts officials described it as a “storslagen invigning” (magnificent opening) and applauded Liv Aira’s achievement in establishing the venue. On Instagram, participating artists and groups shared behind-the-scenes moments – one post during the opening week showed collaborators in morning rehearsals, expressing excitement to “be part of opening @samisktdanscenter Jillat in Vuollerim”instagram.com. Following opening weekend, the Jillat Facebook page continued to promote new events at the center, such as an indigenous contemporary circus performance “Electric Lies: Broken Ground” by a Norwegian Sámi artist on Nov 17, 2024 m.facebook.com, and concerts and workshops going into the winter. The flurry of social media activity around the inauguration indicates how much energy and interest the project generated across the community.

In summary, the opening of Jillat Sámi Dance Center in November 2024 garnered extensive coverage across Swedish media – from local news and regional development blogs to national cultural press – as well as lively engagement on social media. Traditional outlets like SR Sameradion and SVT Sápmi emphasized the historical first that Jillat represents sverigesradio.sesvt.se, while cultural magazines and websites provided deeper context on its purpose and Aira’s vision (highlighting everything from dinner-show performances to the need for creative Sámi spaces) tidningensyre.setidningensyre.se. Institutional and minority-focused media celebrated the center’s successful launch and its potential as a creative hub connecting Sápmi with the worldminoritet.seminoritet.se. Meanwhile, independent blogs and artist platforms – such as Liv Aira’s own site and dance networks – announced the opening to international audiences livaira.sedanscentrum.se, and community-driven social media posts documented the joyous atmosphere of the inauguration events facebook.com. Together, these sources paint a picture of an opening weekend that was not only a local gala but a landmark cultural event for the Sámi community, widely shared and recognized across media platforms.