Lifestyle

Performance group diverts to new National Dance

Previously known as Diversions, this dance group bring their new name and a new production to Aberystwyth Art Centre…

 

National Dance Company Wales makes its first visit to Aberystwyth under its new name this weekend since parting with its old name Diversions, writes Jason Jones. The name might have changed but a special bond remains. That is reinforced by the career, education and family connections of the Company’s team and the town.

And with a long relationship with Aberystwyth Arts Centre in particular, it is no surprise Artistic Director Ann Sholem, who founded the company with her husband, Artistic Associate Roy Campbell-Moore, 26 years ago, has made Aberystwyth the venue of choice for premièring the annual international spring tour.

It is a bit of a homecoming for four key Company members.
Joe Fletcher, aged 30, Technical Director with NDCWales, who was brought up in Bronant thinks Aberystwyth has a unique place in the Welsh arts scene. “The programming at Aberystwyth Arts Centre is so varied it showcases the breadth of what the arts has to offer. It is up there with some of the best venues in the country.”
Fletcher started his career at the centre, taking a year out from his planned university course, but ending up working his way up to the role of chief technician in the nine years he eventually spent there before moving to NDCWales in mid-2006.

 “I think there’s a lot of interest in the area regarding the arts because of the university, especially because of the drama course, which is one of the best around”, says the dance company’s Stage Manager Nia Thomson, aged 27, who took the course herself as her degree graduating in 2004. Thomson, who also went on to work at the centre with Fletcher and also joined NDCWales in 2006, enjoys the experience of coming back to the town. “I have a real sense of nostalgia for the place”, says Thomson, “because I think there’s an energy there for not just dance but all the arts because the local community engages with that world”.

 The relationship with the community is important to the company. “We have a loyal audience and we also reach out to people who may not have been to see our contemporary dance, to share the excitement and enjoyment”, says NDCWales Marketing and Publicity Officer, Gemma Hughes, who studied drama at Aberystwyth University.
She says: “The enjoyment goes beyond what happens on stage. As the lead organisation for the development of dance in Wales, our dancers also lead workshops that run in conjunction with the tour.
“These not only develop the skills and appreciation of the participants in the lively and enjoyable workshops but also show what our dancers can do physically, which is extraordinary. It is always a great buzz when audience members and young dancers remind us they took part in workshops as children, for example.”

“Now that we are touring with a new national identity people share the pride attached to that name and increasingly are also seeing dance is for them,” believes Hughes. “When people see us they just enjoy amazing dancers without worrying about what a performance means. They enjoy a hugely entertaining evening.”

Company Deputy Director David Wilson is also an Aberystwyth University alumnus, graduating in 1999, and spent many an hour as student treading the boards as a young actor. Aged 32, David became Deputy Director in 2008. One of his key roles is booking the tours and knows just how important Aberystwyth is to the NDCWales and also its role in the company’s transformation over the years.
“The way we’ve developed a wonderfully loyal and appreciative audience in Aberystwyth is how we are now developing a relationship with people not just across Wales but further afield, too. We want that same level of loyalty, that same sense of interaction. Because that’s what the arts are all about: inclusiveness.”

Artistic Director Ann Sholem said; “The company loves opening its new seasons in Aberystwyth. This year we have the world premiere of a new work created for us by Itzik Galili and the debut for the company from exciting Greek choreographer Andonis Foniadakis.”

Galili’s last dance with the company, Peeled (2006), was toured extensively throughout Wales and internationally including Spain, Italy and Ireland. The new work uses music from Steve Reich’s and a new score from Percossa, the composers that created the music for Peeled.
Ann added, “We took Andonis’ dance Veil of Stars on our autumn tour and it thrilled audiences and critics alike. I am now excited to be taking a work that we have performed in China, London and Edinburgh to Aberystwyth, such an important venue for the company.”

National Dance Company Wales: Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Friday and Saturday, January 29 and 30, 7.30pm. 01970 62 32 32  www.aber.ac.uk/artscentre

 

Pictured, from top:

(L-R) Joe Fletcher, David Wilson, Nia Thompson and Gemma Hughes.

Other pictures show Veil of Stars by Adonis Foniadakis (all pictures by Roy Campbell Moore)