Instructors

Freddy Milanya is a dancer, educator, choreographer and artist. Originally from Kenya, he now lives in Norway. He’s been dancing since the age of nine, when he and a group of friends danced at his local church every Sunday. In high school, Freddy began to pursue dance more seriously. He and a couple of friends started a dance crew that had great success in Kenya with TV appearances, music videos and award shows. In 2016, Freddy moved from Kenya to Oslo to continue his education. Here he started the Matata crew together with his Kenyan friends.

Linda has worked in Kulturhjerte’s creative team since she impressed us with the costumes for the youth musicals at PlanB. Linda conjures up the most creative costumes from almost nothing, and is never satisfied until every detail is perfect. Both actors and audiences appreciate that!

Linda moved to Norway in 1996 to attend the photography program at Folkehøgskole in Lofoten. After training as a decorator, she has worked as a stylist, sales manager and in marketing. Linda now runs her own interior and design company Friistiil in addition to working with Kulturhjerte’s performances. Together with parents and volunteers in Kulturhjerte, she puts together outfits for the ensemble as the script and performance take shape.

Jomo Masai was educated in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has toured as a dancer all over the world, and after a few years in Denmark, where he worked at the Royal Danish Ballet School, he came to Lillehammer in 2012 to work as a teacher at Lillehammer and Gjøvik Dance Center. Over the years, children, young people and adults alike have benefited from Jomo’s experience and knowledge, and his ability to develop creativity, talent and spread the joy of dance. Jomo Masai has been Kulturhjerte’s choreographer and spreader of joy right from the start. Since he now lives in Stavanger, he follows Kulturhjerte from the sidelines and as an active board member.

Vivian’s role is often to implement other people’s ideas, but she was one of the initiators of Kulturhjerte – a project she has dreamed of creating in Lillehammer for several years. Vivian is energized by working with creative people and thrives best when she works with an artistic team around her. She is known for her ability to create structure in chaotic, creative and artistic processes. Vivian has worked for several years as a project manager and producer in Peer Gynt AS and as an advisor in school development projects in the county council. In 2018, she decided to go it alone and started her own production company, Spinning Art. She now works full-time as a producer for various performing arts productions and festivals, in addition to being Kulturhjerte’s general manager and producer.

Janne Aasebø Johnsen is a children’s book author, teacher and screenwriter. In Kulturhjerte, she writes the story and the songs in the show based on ideas and input from all the performers. Janne is a trained assistant teacher and through her years as a teacher at Søre Ål school, she has instilled a love of reading and writing in hundreds of children.

When Janne is not writing books and scripts, she works at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences in Lillehammer.

Carol is a professional singer and singing teacher, with extensive experience of cultural projects in schools.

She has worked for many years as a drama teacher at high schools both in South Africa and here in Lillehammer, and as a touring artist in the Cultural Rucksack around the country. Now she uses her great work capacity as a drama teacher at Lillehammer creative high school – Create, and with us in Kulturhjerte.

Carol is from South Africa and has lived in Norway since 2008. She is also married to cultural heart composer Thor Kvande and mother to Sebastian.