The World Heritage Residence/Scholarship
The Culture & Competence Committee at Region Gävleborg has awarded the dancer Natalie Ogonek, Canada with her project "Dancing Through History: A Celebration of Human Connections" as the World Heritage Scholarship holder of 2023.
This year, 342 applications were received from 60 different countries during the application period. The applications have contained many interesting, exciting and good projects that connect World Heritage sites around the world in different contexts. It has been an incredible journey reading all of them.
So, we thank you for all the applications that came in this year and congratulate Natalie Ogonek on this year's appointment. The World Heritage scholarship/residence contains, Skr 50,000 and accommodation on a World Heritage farm for one month.
Motivation:
The World Heritage site Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland consists seven timbered farms built for celebration. The embellished banquet halls, the large houses of festivities, are completely unique. The big celebrations of life were held here in stately feasts with music, food and dance which lasted for days, sometimes a whole week.
The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world, and owes its existence and rich tradition to Gustav III and the palace theatre of Drottningholm. Louis XIV of France was a passionate dancer. During his reign, the dance form which would later become ballet blossomed. The interweaving of folk dance and court dance is part of the history of this art form and the social history of the nation and the world.
30 miles north of Drottningholm, in Hälsingland, the court dance did not differ much from the folk dances which were danced at festivities of the Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland; weddings and holidays.
”Dancing Through History: A Celebration of Human Connections” is an artistic dance project which explores the connections between Swedish folk dance as it is practised in Hälsingland, court dance at the World Heritage site Royal Domain of Drottningholm and modern ballet, whose roots can be traced back to the World Heritage site Palace and Park of Versailles in France. Through the project, this year's World Heritage scholarship recipient intends to explore and make available these rich dance traditions and show how they can intertwine, where dance is a tool creating compassion, connection and trust between people.
Natalie Ogonek is a Canadian dancer and choreographer. She is schooled at the National Ballet School in Canada and has worked at the National Ballet of Canada, Hamburg Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet and most recently at the Royal Swedish Ballet. She is awarded Region Gävleborg's World Heritage Scholarship/Residence 2023 to further investigate and celebrate the connection between folk dance, court dance and ballet at three World Heritage sites; the Palace and Park of Versailles, the Royal Domain of Drottningholm och the Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland.
About the scholarship
The World Heritage Scholarship is international and seeks cultural creators and researchers from all over the world.
The international Residence Scholarship for the World Heritage site Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland (Hälsingegårdar) was established in 2018 by the Regional Assembly in Gävleborg. The Scholarship is aimed for individuals who have an idea related to the UNESCO World Heritage list and are interested to connect the World Heritage site Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland with other World Heritage sites in an artistic, cultural or researching way.
The World Heritage Scholarship is a residency that involves
- staying and living in one or two World Heritage farms for a period of one month
- a grant of ap. 4.500 euro (50.000 SEK) to carry out the idea/project in question
The scholarship is international and can be applied for by people from all over the world, such as researchers, artists or other cultural actors.
Region Gävleborg awards the Residence Scholarship for the World Heritage site Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland to a person who has an idea related to the UNESCO World Heritage list and can connect the World Heritage site Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland to another World Heritage site in an artistic, cultural or researching way.
Read more about UNESCO's World Heritage mission UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage
Contact
With any queries, please contact:
anna-karin.ferm@regiongavleborg.se
Follow up report
Your follow up report for approved scholarship has to be sent in to Region Gävleborg at the latest one year after.
More information
Recipient of World Heritage Scholarship 2022 is awarded to Mikaela Steby Stenfalk
