Episode 17: Katrín Hall

Katrín Hall is an Icelandic choreographer and artistic director. She started dancing at a young age with Iceland Dance Company, before moving to Germany to tour internationally with the legendary Cologne-based company Tanzforum. In 1996, Katrín returned to Iceland Dance Company to take up the position of Artistic Director. In this role, she placed a strong emphasis on collaborating with Icelandic musicians such as the now Oscar-winning Hildur Guðnadóttir, supporting local choreographic talent, as well as working with many of Europe’s leading international choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Jiří Kylián, Alexander Ekman, and Damien Jalet. As a result, in 2000 Katrín was awarded the Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland for her contribution to the dance community in Iceland. Alongside her career as an Artistic Director, Katrín is a prolific choreographer in her own right, having created work for Iceland Dance Company, companies in Germany, Austria, Sweden and USA, and for musical productions and television, notably choreographing for Shakira’s 'Did It Again' music video, and working with the BBC TV show So You Think You Can Dance. Since 2016, Katrín has been the director of Sweden-based GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, the largest Nordic dance company. Ahead of the company’s double bill of works by Damien Jalet and Sharon Eyal at London's Sadler’s Wells from 11th - 13th May, Terpsichore talked to Katrín about the Icelandic Dance scene, transitioning to her role in Sweden, and her vision for the company’s future.