PRESS CLIPPINGS/REVIEWS
“Hundreds of spectators crowded along the pier to take in the spectacular show in and of the watery element (…) Many could hardly believe what they saw (…) Breathtaking acrobatics and graceful and beautiful dance. Particularly impressing was Ella Fiskums interpretation of the squirming fish / mermaid who finally had to admit defeat, but who was brought to life again.” Tønsberg Blad on “Fishing for Love –live edition” June 25th 2011.
“Chamber Night Success.
Risør Chamber Music won many hearts of the audience during the event ”Chamber Night at the fjord” Wednesday night. Spontaneous concerts, spectacular dancing and Norway’s first living jukebox took audiences by storm (…) But the most spectacular was the dance performance “Fishing for Love”. Hanging from a crane 15feet above the inner harbor, the audience watched a spectacular performance by the dancer Sudesh Adhana before Ella C. Fiskum emerged from the water and onto the net, which served as a dance floor.” Aust Agder Blad on “Fishing for Love –live edition” June 30th 2011.
“Ella Fiskum pushes the limits of dance and with her investigative sense and her bravery she succeeds in finding new, navigable ways. This time in completely unknown territory, – and as a duo.
Ella Fiskum from Trondheim has during her dancing career crossed the borders constantly and pushed her way out of the framework of dance, which seems all too narrow for this experimental dancer.
In cooperation with the Indian dancer Sudesh Adhana she has made a huge step further and the results of this cooperation is complete, well done and brave. There is physical language and a new definition of dance and movement which occurs on the net over the Nidelven River.
The elasticity of the net changes the physical conditions of the body. The net is strung at a 20 degree angle so that the audience can see the dancers wherever they lay; move upright or somewhere in between the two. This twisted, unusual perspective gives way to new scenic possibilities. At the crossroads between the elastic foundation and a tilted angle, these two have explored the physical – and found creativity, especially when working on the horizontal level. The dancers change between recognizable, purified dance expression and the more animalistic, raw movements. The tension between the two extremes works well.
The duo possesses a physical language which becomes them. They create divine physical sculptures where the costumes are eye-catching with its skirt split in four which become extra limbs on the Eastern inspired characters. In the second half of the performance however, it is difficult to capture the intention of the costumes.
The elasticity of the net gives great dynamics and enlarges the movements. The big gestures are contrasted effectively by fingers and feet in small, but visible vibrations. The tension of the net gives the opportunity for dynamic collisions and fatal falls where the two parties end up on the “surface” with great force- without risk. But the risk factor intensifies as an underlying tension by the fact that the performance is done over deep water and by the dancers moving toward, and over the edges, as to underline the extremes of the frames of life itself.
The performance adds pictures and storytelling elements; fusion and separation, to hold on and set free, receive and let fall, seek – find – lose, put aside to walk further on, die to resurrect. Strong forces meet, both contradictory forces and coinciding energy.
The performance is lifted by well composed sound design and an exquisite light design which creates a magical stage area in the middle of town, in the midst of well known sounds, with the sky as a ceiling and backdrop, the dark waters as reflecting decking and the net as a challenging floor space.
However, The Net of Pas de Deux is a bit long but the end is beautiful, where Fiskum plays with the only prop of the performance, an orange sari.
A brave pas de deux into the unknown has succeeded for the dancers and the artistic duo.” Idun Haugan on “The Net of Pas de Deux”, translation of newspaper critic, Adresseavisen, August 4th 2004.
“From her base in Canada storm gifted Ella Fiskum has made the leap across the Atlantic, yesterday she made a both soft and dramatic landing on the Black Box Theatre in Oslo as “Untitled Star”. (…)Ella Fiskum is an exceptional artistic talent.” Annette Mürer in the national newspaper/tabloid Dagbladet, reviewing the premiere of her 2nd solo “Untitled Star”. April 2002.
“The dancer Fiskum is given the special gift to possess an extreme stage presence in the room. She projects the power and energy and the eyes is drawn to her no matter where in the room she is.”
Fredrik Rütter in the national morning edition of Aftenposten on “Untitled Star” April 6th 2002.
(…) Choreographer Ella Christina Fiskum requirements for technical dance championships are great, and dancer Ella Christina Fiskum meets them. But more important is her lavish ability to reach the audience, her ability to redeem the essence of movement. And we saw a dancer with a radiance that was striking.
Sigurd Stenersen in the regional newspaper Harstad Times
26 september 2000, on her 1st solo “Seduced by Unreality”
She “populate” the stage space, creating sensual and seductive vamps, temptresses, ballerinas and fallen divas. She let the women go all the way to the bottom – and hauled them up to a larger, but far from free of conflicts – perception of reality.
(…)Her form of language is strong physical and expressive. Wild, violent – and resigned touching. Quite poignant is the sequence where she dances refined classic – in point shoes, with turned head and a suppressed, frantic mime of Jim Hendrix’s name on the lips, to raw and rasps music.
Ellen Pollestad in the regional newspaper Nordlys
25 september 2000, on “Seduced by Unreality”
The Dancer Ella Fiskum is doing her part with great security – technical and artistic. Choreographer Ella Fiskum is putting up her performance with great security, technical and artistic. While the character “Ella Fiskum” lights of uncertainty. That is strong. Vulnerable. Sensitive and emotional. With fairly high degree of acting embedded in the dance.
Lillian Bikset in the regional newspaper Nordlands Framtid
August 5, 2000: on “Seduced by Unreality”
(…)In choosing the theme of wandering in and out of dream and reality, I find also a test of boundary of the madness / norm. When do you keep yourself inside the community-defined character / characters? And what happens when you go outside the accepted norms? What happens when the dream, the inner life becomes more real than reality itself?
(…) In this case, we see the dancer in the conflicting scenes where she dances Swan Lake arch classic swans on point of the pumping energy and raw music of the Waterboys, and Metallica. And when she kiss / eat on her own knee, when she was in a trashed ballerina costume crawling around on the floor and snapped the black forms (from Haremska installation) and fill shake them like a dog would have done, then there is not much ballerina left.
Idun Haugan in the regional newspaper Adressavisen
September 18, 2000, on “Seduced by Unreality”