Dancer, circus artist, poet
Camilla Therese Karlsen, or Biret Beret Elle Milla, is an author, storyteller, dancer, choreographer, aerialist and acrobat that belong to the Seasami at the northern norwegian side of Sápmi. After many years of experience on stage as an artist whose main medium is her body, she has been exploring how to combine her work with traditional Sámi storytelling and poetry. Camilla founded the company Ulv & Ugle in 2017, a Sámi performing art company promoting Sámi culture and spreading awareness on indigenous socio-political questions. The work of the company can be branded as crossover performance and contain Sámi joik, poetry, storytelling, dance, juggling and acrobatics on the floor and in the air. In 2024 she has been awarded grants from The Norwegian State Artist Grant, and from Kurt Nylander Stipendiefond and Folkteatern Gävle.
About the art
In the days of old, some Sámi people would say that we had to follow hidden paths to avoid those who want to harm us. There is a parallel to how the Sámi identity went on a hidden path during the hard Norwegian assimilation process. Now, generations of Sámi live with shame and deny their heritage, the painful story of many indigenous people in this world. In the interdisciplinary production Hidden Path, the cliché of indigenous heritage is questioned along with the problem of not being “Sámi enough”. How can this be fixed? How do we “unshame”? Using a combination of Sámi joik music, poetry, contemporary dance, contemporary circus, music and projections, this production tells a story about assimilation, shame, identity and belonging. Produced with support from Dáiddáfoanda, Sámediggi, Dramatikkens Hus, Stiftelsen Frittord!, Norsk Kulturfond, Fond for Lyd og Bilde, Fond for Utøvende Kunstnere, Figurteateret i Nordland, Tanzfabrik Berlin, Oyoun.