“The Greenlandic language is very logical and practical. For example, the Danish word for shooting star (stjerneskud) is poetic and beautiful. In Greenlandic, it is ullorissap anaa, which means star-poop! Or the expression, 'No cow on the ice' — well, hmm... we do not exactly encounter many cows on the ice where I come from. Or ‘You weren't dropped behind a wagon’—what does that actually even mean?”
Experience Else Danielsen as the Greenlandic lawyer Aviaaja in this humorous, sharp stand-up monologue. She tackles Greenlandic-Danish linguistic quirks and body language, forced adoptions, a love of bonsai plants, and the struggle to be recognized as a highly educated Greenlander in Denmark — and why her clients always bring a wooden spoon when going to the doctor in Denmark.
Else Danielsen studied at the Tuukkaq Theatre in Fjaltring. She has worked in many productions as an actor and director at the National Theatre of Greenland, in Canada, and on many major tours across Greenland, the USA, and Canada. She has authored multiple plays for children and adults, and has also appeared in Teater freezeProductions’ performance Our Stories and SLETTEN/NARSARSUAQ project in 2021.
Script and Performance: Else Danielsen
Direction and dramaturgy: Hanne Trap Friis
THE NARROW ICEPATH is part of THREE GREENLANDIC MONOLOGUES, which also includes BLUE SNOW and BIRD-WOMAN. The monologues are presented as a collective performance, but they are also available for purchase and can be performed individually. They last 30 minutes each and are performed in Danish, English, and Greenlandic. They are suitable for both young and adult audiences.