NDCWales has revealed its first new season since the announced departure of chair Andrew Davies, heralding a new era for the company after several years of being dogged by governance controversy.
With chief executive Paul Kaynes and artistic director Caroline Finn at the helm and a new chair being recruited, the company’s announcement follows the latest performances at Green Man Festival, Crickhowell and Sziget Festival, Budapest this summer.
The Autumn Tour is called Folk and will take in four venues in Bangor, Birmingham, Newtown and Cardiff during September and November. The tour will feature a triple bill at each venue with Folk to be performed at each tour venue.
Created by National Dance Company Wales’ Artistic Director Caroline Finn, Folk will be performed alongside two other works from the existing repertoire, They Seek to Find the Happiness They Seem by NDCWales’ Rehearsal Director Lee Johnston, a duet set to music by Max Richter, and Tuplet, ceated by Alexander Ekman.
The new work for the tour will be Profundis by Israeli choreographer Roy Assaf and also his first UK production. Inspired by the chorale of De Profundis composed by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, Profundis will premiere in Newtown and then be performed in Cardiff, forming a double-bill with Folk for the November run of NDCWales’ Autumn Tour.
NDCWales will also return to the large dance festival in Germany, Tanzmesse International Festival in Germany on 1 September, where the dancers will perform Folk.
In addition to the performances, NDCWales will be interacting with groups in the community including a bilingual Family Interactive Matinee in Bangor (in partnership with Dawns i Bawb) where families can take part in activities with the dancers on stage and watch a performance of Tuplet. In Newtown, school children will be able to take part in dance and watch a matinee performance of Folk.
Caroline Finn said, “I am incredibly excited to be bringing back three such well received works which feel very close to the Company’s heart and to be sharing these with existing as well as new audiences. Roy Assaf’s new work will be a fantastic complement to our current repertoire and will give audiences another flavour to relish! We are also hugely looking forward to performing Folk at Tanzmesse International Festival in Düsseldorf this summer. As the largest professional gathering dedicated exclusively to contemporary dance we feel sure that our presence there will bring us new and exciting touring opportunities for the future.”
New evening classes are also being offered at the Dance House, at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. The classes are for people of any dance ability (age 18+) who can sign up to try Beginners Ballet, Beginners Contemporary Dance, Yoga Dance, Yoga or Gaga/people, a free-flowing movement language created by choreographer Ohad Naharin.
Paul Kaynes said, “This new element to our programme has been really successful and has meant that some people have engaged with the Company for the first time. They now have the dance and movement bug and see the benefits and enjoyments that dance can bring into people’s lives.”
Dance writer and critics Mike Smith said, “It is great to see a busy and varied season of work from the dance company at a challenging time for full-time arts companies. With the recent announcement that Andrew Davies is vacating the chair of NDCWales this hopefully marks the end of a troubled few years that has seen the departure of the company co-founders, sweeping staff and board member changes and changes in touring schedules. ”
Autumn Tour 2016 Dates:
Pontio, Bangor
16 September 7.30pm
17 September 1.30pm (Family Interactive Matinee, Tuplet)
Dance Xchange, Birmingham
22 & 23 September 8pm
23 September 1pm (Schools Interactive Matinee, Tuplet)
The Hafren, Newtown
10 November 7.45pm
11 November 1pm (Schools Interactive Matinee, Folk)
Dance House, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
14, 15 & 17 November 7.30pm
16 November 1pm (Full Matinee; Folk & Profundis)