Is there such a thing as a Norwegian dance noir? And does it have a quality and a temperament that is unique to itself, that is less urban than Belgian or French dance? And if there is such a thing, is it more grounded and heavy and dark than it’s opposite, the light, elevated, illusion and fake ballet coming from Russia? In any country, in any case analysed, the question of the specificity and identity of dance, or of the body that is expressed through performance, is usually a complex one. This was only one of the questions I was tempted to search an answer for while I was at the DanseFestival Barents in Hammerfest, the most Nordic city of Europe with very peculiar surroundings. But is this context different enough to justify the insistence of such an interrogation? Read the full blog by Claudia Galhos on Festival Bytes.