Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
With the new artistic director Bakani Pick-Up in attendance, National Dance Company Wales delighted a clearly devoted audience of fans at the Sherman Theatre with a triple bill called Surge.
The first piece, Infinity Duet, was just 10 minutes and was representative of the way the company, as with many Arts Council of Wales funded bodies, is developing by working with other organisations or individuals in Wales. Here we have two dancers, interacting with a swing made by Cardiff-based artist Cecile Johnson Soliz, and choreographed by company dancer Faye Tan. This interesting piece has the dancers wearing costumes printed with geometric designs by the artists with an overarching idea of unused newsprint sculpted into works of art, thus here the swing. The dancers interact with the swing, at times limbo-like avoiding is, others sending it swirling in the space, and usually, with no contact, with each other. The idea of combining sculpture and dance is extended to the music by Richard McReyolds by incorporating the sounds of the paper being ripped and scrunched. This was new to me but was apparently first seen as part of NDC Wales’ Shorts in early 2025.
Infinity Duet
After a 10 minute pause the company revisits Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau’s Waltz. Starting with a pile of glistening ash, bodies appear also seemingly made from this substance, and morph into a myriad of shapes. They interact with one another, slithering, entwining, arms and legs creating interlocking shape as the music softly plays (Sibelius, Thom Yorke, Holly Herndon and Caterina Barbieri, plus I am sure I heard a little of Aida. Plus also of courses waltzes. As the work progresses the dancers, of course in reality their bodies in sparkling black costumes form their own independent creations but still work in unison. They eventually reveal their own identities. This mesmerising work was featured as part of the company’s Pulse season in 2023, shows the impressive skills of the dancers’ ensemble work as each of the patterns and overall dance vocabularly that is typical of Morau’s dance genre requires exact synchronicity.
Waltz
The new offering for this varied programme was Mabon which has its roots in the Mabinogion collection of Welsh myths and legends that are such a popular fo not source materials, ideas and themes for creatives in Wales. Here we have a story of a quest to meet Mabon which involves meeting some of the oldest animals in the world. This is very much a multi-genre collaboration not only between the choreographer Osian Meilir and costume designer Becky Davies but also music from Cerys Hafana.
Whether the viewer is familiar with this Mabinogion tale or not, the choreography enables you to impose your own interpretation, and draw on your own experiences, knowledge and reaction to folklore and animism around the globe. While based on Welsh dance, some audience members mentioned that for them it evoked indigenous sub–Saharan African and North American peoples’ dances, while others saw traditional Japanese dance movements. In online videoblogs the choreographer and designer also said the work spoke of their own queerness, but I cannot say that hit my gaydar.
This was a fresh and bold work, full of imagination and spectacle. The dancer developed from the animals being completely costumed creatures to shedding layers until their collectively created a new being. While it no doubt held profound messages giving a new take on ancient tales, it was also great fun and there is nothing wrong with that.
Judging from this engaging and scintillating offering, the new artistic director has some very talented dancers to work with.
Surge runs until Friday, September 19 at The Sherman Theatre. Further dates follow in Newport, Bangor, Mold and, Aberystwyth London and Ipswich until November 2025, and the company visits Germany next year.
For more information visit: www.ndcwales.co.uk
Main image Mabon.
