The Kennedy Center’s Nordic Cool Festival begins today and runs through March 17. Every year, the Kennedy Center chooses a region of the world and brings its culture to the District, marking a to its programming season. Past festivals have brought artists from Latin America and from the nations along the Silk Road, including China, India and Arab countries. Last year, the Kennedy Center focused on Budapest, Prague and Vienna, three cities that historically bridged east and west. This year, the spotlight remains in Europe with Nordic Cool. The month-long festival presents the cultural diversity spanning Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as the territories of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Áland Islands. The official opening concert takes place tonight with a performance from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.
“It made sense to do it,” said Alicia Adams, who has the enviable job of curating these events. “Very few Americans know about [this region]. I think it’ll be very informative and the artistry will speak to the culture that exists there.”
This annual program has become so popular that embassies are now advocating on behalf of their respective governments for future consideration to the series. Nordic countries have for quite some time been making significant efforts to engage with the people of the District. For example, the House of Sweden regularly holds a variety of public cultural events and a number of Scandinavian countries have partnered for the past six years to stage an annual Nordic jazz festival. Adams noted that in lobbying for Nordic Cool, some of the cultural delegations were worried that a festival representing this part of the world wouldn’t be as colorful as that of, say, India. However, Adams was also quick to point out that there is a surprising amount of vibrancy and vitality to the Nordic people.
“It is very colorful,” Adams said. “It’s the land of the midnight sun. To have light for 24 hours a day is startling and that is reflected in the work.”
Adams listed other themes, besides light and dark, that pervade much of the creative expression. Nature plays a prominent role in many pieces, and several artists base their work on hot-button issues such as climate change and sustainability. Many of these countries have relatively small populations, which often carries with it a high-level of political awareness, so issues like gender rights and children’s rights also make their way into the artistic discourse.
As with each of the Kennedy Center’s previous international festivals, Nordic Cool draws from every artistic medium: theater, music, dance, visual arts, literature and even architecture. And as in other iterations, attendees will also have the opportunity to sample regional cuisine and take part in interactive workshops.
Highlights are many in this year’s programming. Celebrated jazz pianist Tord Gustavsen will perform with his trio, and there are a number of orchestral performances, one of which features the Iceland Symphony. One of the most intriguing musical performances comes from Terje Isungset, who fashions his instruments out of glacial ice. Dance companies from Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Sweden will perform. Theater buffs should take note of the Icelandic production of Kafka’s Metamorphosis, as well as Stockholm’s Royal Dramatic Theatre’s production of Fanny and Alexander, an adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s Oscar-winning film. Exhibitions of note include a child-friendly LEGO exhibition and play space, as well as Danish lighting designer Jesper Kongshaug’s recreation of the Northern Lights on the Center’s façade, which will be on display every evening throughout the festival.
There is something for everyone at Nordic Cool, a goal Adams keeps in mind for all of her events.
“I hope [people] walk away certainly having enjoyed it, but also having been provoked by it,” she said.
Nordic Cool runs at the Kennedy Center through March 17, 2013. Full schedule and ticket information is available here.
