National Dance Company Wales

Dancer at the National Dance Company Wales

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.

The Dance House

National Dance Company Wales at the Wales Millennium Centre

The Dance House is the home of the National Dance Company Wales in the Wales Millennium Centre. It houses two production studios, office space and a lounge area. The main production studio, the Blue Room, includes 100 tiered and retractable seats and provides the highest quality technical specification for producing and presenting dance. The second studio, the Man Gwyn, provides additional rehearsal space and is fitted with ballet barres and mirrors. The Dance House is a world-class production facility[5] and performance space for both NDCWales productions and other dance projects.

The Company

The Directors

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 Sydney Theatre, and General Manager of Citymoves Dance Agency in Aberdeen, Scotland. David joined NDCWales in September 2011.

Joe Fletcher (Technical Director): Joe has been Technical Director & Resident Designer for National Dance Company Wales for the past seven years. During this time he has designed for choreographers Roy Campbell-Moore, Andonis Foniadakis, Eleesha Drennan, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano & Lee Johnston and taken the work to China, India, across Europe and the UK. He studied Theatre Design (MA) at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, specialising in lighting and digital design, where he returns as a guest tutor for the BA and MA lighting courses. Joe has also been a guest lecturer at the University of Wales Aberystwyth. Joe’s obsession with light has developed throughout a fifteen-year career in the arts; designing for theatre, dance, concerts, events and architecture. Design credits include Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Arad Goch, Sherman Cymru, The Guardian Hay Literature & Arts Festival, Slush Theatre Company, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, Uman Zoo, National Youth Dance Wales & National Theatre Wales. In 2013 Joe’s lighting and animation design for Purlieus, in collaboration with choreographer Lee Johnston, was selected as a finalist at the World Stage Design Exhibition 2013.

Lee Johnston (Rehearsal Director): Originally from Sydney, Lee trained at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. After dancing for LINK Dance Company she joined NDCWales in 2004. Highlights as a performer with the company include working with choreographers Ohad Naharin, Stephen Petronio, Christopher Bruce and Nigel Charnock. Since 2008 Lee has consistently choreographed for the company creating works including Calamine Joy, Pursuing Hidden Ends, Purlieus and They Seek To Find The Happiness They Seem. Since August 2013 Lee has continued her work with NDCWales as Rehearsal Director and in January 2014 became the company's House Choreographer. Lee was a 2013 Dance UK Mentee, mentored by Betsy Gregory, and a Dancers' Career Development recipient, enabling her to complete a Masters in Management (Arts and Cultural Management). Combining her arts management experience with her desire to connect people through dance, Lee has recently developed two initiatives for NDCWales: Stage One and Gaga Spring Workshop 2014

The Dancers

Performers at the National Dance Company Wales
Name Nationality Training Joined NDCWales Other Companies
Josef Perou  United Kingdom Trinity Laban
Central School of Ballet		 2011 Phoenix Dance Theatre
Henri Oguike Dance Company
Camille Giraudeau  United Kingdom Arts Educational Schools
Trinity Laban		 2012
Matteo Marfoglia  Italy Accademia Nazionale Di Danza
Rotterdam Dance Academy		 2012 Introdans
Mathieu Geffré  France Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris 2012 Dansgroep Amsterdam
Noord Nederlandse Dans
Chris Scott  United Kingdom London Contemporary Dance School 2013
Natalie Corne  United Kingdom Central School of Ballet 2013 Ballet de L’Opera National du Rhin
Àngela Boix Duran  Spain Ballet Conservatoire 2013 IT Dansa Companyia
Noord Nederlandse Dans
Elena Thomas  France Ecole Nationale Superieure de Danse de Marseille
Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon		 2013 Jeune Ballet Conservatoire National Superieur de Lyon
Europa Danse
Ballet National du Rhin
La Mov'
Company Chameleon
Emily Pottage  United Kingdom Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance 2013 (Apprentice) New English Contemporary Ballet
Rambert Dance Company
Kit Brown  United Kingdom London Contemporary Dance School 2013 (Apprentice)

Repertoire

Current Repertoire

Recent Repertoire

References

  1. ↑ Roy, Sanjoy (2010-02-16). "Step by step guide to dance: National Dance Company Wales". Guardian. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  2. ↑ "National Dance Company Wales". WMC. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
  3. ↑ Roxelana, Anna (December 2010). "The Arts in Wales: 2011 Preview". Buzz Magazine. p. 16. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  4. ↑ "Participation". NDCWales. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  5. ↑ "NDCWales International Programme". WMC. Retrieved 2011-03-21.

External links