National Dance Company Wales (NDCWales), formerly Diversions, is the national dance company of Wales. It was established in 1983 by Roy Campbell-Moore and Ann Sholem and is funded by the Arts Council of Wales.[1] Formerly known as Diversions, it was renamed in 2009, one year after celebrating its 25th anniversary.
National Dance Company Wales is a resident company at the Wales Millennium Centre and is a contemporary dance company which performs work from established international choreographers and tours throughout the UK and abroad.[2] Programmes of dance are presented within the format of double and triple bills.
The company also runs a wide range of participation, professional development and engagement opportunities for people of all ages. This includes open classes and rehearsals, Summer and Easter dance courses,[3] the Associates programme[4] and support for Wales based choreographers.
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The Dance House is National Dance Company Wales' part of the Wales Millennium Centre and includes a 100-seat theatre known as the Blue Room which is a creative laboratory for dance artists. Led by the Artistic Director, Ann Sholem, the Dance House is both a world-class production facility[5] and performance space for other dance projects as well as a home-base for National Dance Company Wales.
Roy Campbell-Moore (Founding Director and Associate Artist): Scottish born in 1951, Roy was educated in Australia as a radio technician with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. He began dance training in Brisbane when he was twenty, then studied at the Rambert School of Ballet before performing with Scottish Ballet from 1975 until 1981.[1] While there he worked with dance-artists such as Rudolph Nureyev,[6] Murray Louis[7] and Peter Darrell[8] who inspired him to become a choreographer. At the age of thirty, he retrained in Cunningham, Limón and Nikolais techniques, and in 1983 he founded Diversions, the Welsh Repertory Dance Company. He was Artistic Director until 2007 productions,[1] when he took on the new post of Artistic Associate, enabling him to concentrate on the Company's wider artistic ambitions. Major achievements include creating over 25 dances for the company,[9] touring them nationally and internationally.[10] From 1997, he developed the concept of an international-quality home for the Company at Wales Millennium Centre which opened in 2004. He continues to direct new dance, opera[11] and musical productions and works with young people to give them opportunities to train and perform[12] He has also become a successful dance photographer,[13] showing his work internationally.[14]
Ann Sholem (Artistic Director): Prior to founding Diversions with Roy Campbell-Moore in 1983, Ann performed as a soloist with Northern Ballet and from 1975 and spent five years performing with Scottish Ballet. Ann trained at the Rambert School of Ballet in London where she met Roy Campbell-Moore in 1973.[1] Ann has "transformed the organisation from a company of five into an internationally recognised dance group, known for being one of the most innovative in its field".[15] She works to bring Wales some of the best dancers currently working in Europe,[16] offering them the chance to work with world class choreographers.[1] In 2007 Ann won "Welsh Woman of the Year – Arts and Media" for her work at NDCWales and her dedication to the art form.[17]
David Wright (Deputy Director): Born in Neath, South Wales, David moved to Australia as a child. He studied Drama, Film and English Literature at Macquarie University, and Arts Management at the University of Technology, Sydney. Over the last twenty years he has worked predominantly in General/Financial Management with Toe Truck Theatre and Australian Theatre for Young People (both in Sydney) and London's Bush Theatre. Most recently he was Executive Director of Greenwich & Lewisham Young People's Theatre in London, Executive Manager of of Sydney Theatre, and General Manager of Citymoves Dance Agency in Aberdeen, Scotland. David joined NDCWales in September 2011.
Joe Fletcher (Technical Director): Born in West Wales, Joe became Technical Director for NDCWales in 2006. Since then he has production managed 10 new pieces, a co-production with WNO, nine national tours, eight international tours to Holland, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, China, Germany and Italy. Originally trained in Aberystwyth in 1997 he became Chief Technician in the Aberystwyth Arts Centre, designing lighting and sound for many community shows and productions. Prior to working for the company he acted as Production Manager for the international ceramics festival, "Fresh" film festival and the annual student may ball in Cardiff. He was also a Scenography tutor for the Theatre Department in the University of Wales Aberystwyth and Coleg Ceredigion Llanbadarn.
Emma Lewis (Rehearsal Director): Emma was born near Pontypridd and became Rehearsal Director of National Dance Company Wales in August 2010.[18] From age 11 she trained at the Royal Ballet School, completing her studies with BA Honours Degree in Sport and Human Movement in UWIC.[19] She first joined the company as a Dancer in 2000 before leaving in 2005 to study Yoga in India and work with the Gelabert Azzopardi Company in Barcelona, Spain.[20] In 2007 Emma worked with Cathy Marston in Bern Ballet, Switzerland[21] before returning to NDCWales as Rehearsal Director in August 2010.
| Name | Nationality | Training | Joined NDCWales | Other Companies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karol Cysewski | Poland | Laban Dance Centre | 2005 | Poznan Opera House Polish Dance Theatre Transitions Norwegian dance company Carte Blanche |
| Lee Johnston | Australia | Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts | 2004 | LINK Dance Company |
| Eleesha Drennan | Canada | Northern School of Contemporary Dance | 2005 | |
| Annabeth Berkeley | Spain | La Companyia - Elise Lummis Rambert Dance Company Northern School of Contemporary Dance |
2009 | Henri Oguike Dance Company La Companyia Surface Area Dance Theatre Freelance artist: Roger C Jeffrey, Jean Emile, Vivien Wood |
| Eran Gisin | Israel | Centro de Dança, Rio de Janeiro Royal Ballet School |
2011 | Hora Jerusalem Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company 2 The Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company Matte Asher School for the Performing Arts Tanztheater Darmstadt |
| Neus Gil Cortés | Spain | Professional Conservatorium of Dance of Valencia Maria Carbonell Centre Carmen Roche School Rotterdam Dance Academy |
2009 | Art Ballet Dance Works Rotterdam |
| Ygal Tsur | Israel | Rotterdam Dance Academy | 2010 | IT Dansa Jove Compania |
| Gareth Mole | United Kingdom | London Contemporary Dance School | 2011 | |
| Josef Perou | United Kingdom | Trinity Laban Central School of Ballet |
2011 | Phoenix Dance Theatre Henri Oguike Dance Company |
| Nicholas Bodych | United Kingdom | Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts Rambert Dance Company |
Apprentice, 2011 | |
| Camille Giraudeau | United Kingdom | Arts Educational Schools Trinity Laban |
Apprentice, 2011 | |
| Naomi Tadevossian | United Kingdom | London Contemporary Dance School | Apprentice, 2011 |
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