Internships in the creative arts have come under fire recently for exploiting young people desperate to get into their dream job, rather than giving them a valuable insight into the industry and a chance at gainful employment.
However, for one young dancer based in Cardiff, his hard work has landed him a full-time dream job as a professional dancer with one of the country’s leading contemporary dance companies.
Gareth Mole, whose family are from Caerphilly and who graduated with a first class honours degree from London Contemporary Dance School, has just accepted a role as full company member with National Dance Company Wales just six months into his nine-month internship position.
He joined the Company in August 2010 as part of a partnership between National Dance Company and London Contemporary Dance School that requires those on the Masters degree programme to spend time in industry as part of their programme of study.
He was quickly spotted by Stephen Petronio and gained a substantial role in the world-renowned US choreographer’s creation, By Singing Light, which the Company is currently touring. Gareth also performs in Itzik Galili’s Romance Inverse and the Company’s newest work Quixoteland by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano. Gareth enjoys working with the Company’s nine professional dancers and learning as much as he can from their experience.
Gareth follows in the footsteps of previous interns who have also secured full-time positions with the Company. Eleesha Drennan, from Nova Scotia, began her apprenticeship with the Company in 2004 and has been a full Company member since 2005, while Maria Hayday, from London, joined as an apprentice in 2007 and has been dancing professionally with the Company since June 2008.
Ann Sholem, artistic director of National Dance Company Wales, said: “As Wales’s leading dance company, we take very seriously our commitment to developing and encouraging new talent. We work closely with the country’s leading dance schools, offering a full-time training position, providing an “in industry” element to their study and a valuable insight into the life of a professional dancer and the workings of a professional company. We have been continually impressed with the high standards of the interns who have come to us, with several securing full-time positions with the Company.
“Gareth has been an incredible asset in the short while he has been with us,” she added. “Not only does he dance to the high international standards National Dance Company Wales expects, but he also enjoys teaching and passing on the skills he’s learned as part of the Company’s commitment to working with local schools and youth groups. He’s even been known to be handy with a needle and thread, helping the costume department make outfits for the dancers. He has used his time here to impress us with his multitude of skills. We would have been foolish to let him go – and we’re thrilled he accepted the position.”
Gareth, aged 23, said: “I’ve enjoyed working with the Company, learning what happens in a professional dance environment. And I’m over the moon that they have offered me a full-time job.”
Gareth is currently touring Wales and the UK with National Dance Company Wales, performing in three works.
By Singing Light, written especially for the Company by the famous New York choreographer Stephen Petronio, is a combination of dance, music, poetry and fashion, featuring the words of Dylan Thomas and traditional Welsh hymns Pe Cawn I Hon and Ar Lan Y Mor.
Quixoteland, written for the Company Wales by renowned Spanish choreographer Gustav Ramirez Sansano, is based on the famous Cervantes book, Don Quioxte.
Romance Inverse, by Itzik Galili – who was shortlisted for the Best Modern Choreography at the Critic’s Circle UK National Dance Awards in 2010 – sees dancers exploring multiple rhythms and intricate spaces and is accompanied by the music of Steve Reich and Percossa. |
