Divine is a dance performance by Halla Ólafsdóttir that premiered at Uniarts in Stockholm 2024. The performance, made in collaboration with the dancers, combines Halla Ólafsdóttir obsessions with the diva, witch and the rockstar and shapeshifts with every divine performer that inhabits it. 

Divine invites you into a hypnotic world where a coven of dancers shapeshift contemporary dance into a divine ritual, a divine narrative, a divine badger, a divine spiral, a divine attention, a divine pose, a divine listening, a divine crow, a divine rockstar, a divine composition, a divine shaking, a divine trajectory, a divine imagination, a divine feeling, a divine translation, a divine transmutation, a divine lake, a divine screaming, a divine channeling, a divine choir, a divine diagonal, a divine forest, a divine disgusting and cute diva. 

The dance conjures a divine presence—intense, commanding, and ever-shifting—exploring the raw dynamics between performer and spectator. 

Through movement, voice, and an immersive soundscape, Divine transforms space, oscillating between the close-up and grand landscapes. It is a ritual of collective energy, inspired by the depth of a still lake and the untamed force of a coven. 

„Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.“ – Simone Weil 

The idea of the piece came as a reflection of the journey these 10 individuals took for the last 3 years of their lives. The program and the desire to study dance brought them together, here in Reykjavik from different countries, different background, experiences, needs, expectations. 

What does this mean? If we are bound to be together, is there an observation time, is there fear, are there doubts? About ourselves, about the others? When is the sense of community emerging? When do we start trusting each other? Are we influenced by the others? And as times passes by what will remain of this journey? Will it change us? What will we leave behind? 

I have asked the dancers to think of one to three words that could define their experience or memory of the time they had here. 

And I am eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to meet them at the beginning of their journey and accompany them to their farewell. Thank you Katrin for your trust.You gave me a beautiful gift. 

Thank you Andrea, Bertine, Elida, Elsa, Jaako, Leevi, Mari, Maria, Rebecca, Torfi. You are forever in my heart.