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Rehearsals start for National Dance Company Wales & Marc Rees’ P.A.R.A.D.E. |
· Full professional and community cast, plus creative team confirmed for this large-scale spectacle honouring some of Wales’ revolutionary figures · Rehearsal images available here · Trailer available to watch and download here · Performances at Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre 24-25 October, and Bangor’s Pontio 28-29 October Rehearsals are at full throttle for P.A.R.A.D.E., the large-scale, multi-platform, bilingual re-imagining of Ballets Russes' extraordinary Parade, featuring dance, music, film references and a renegade aerial robot. The event will be performed in Cardiff Bay and Bangor this October, and will honour some of the revolutionary figures in Welsh history, including Owain Glyndŵr, the Rebecca Rioters and Gwenllian, daughter of Gruffydd. The original Parade was a radical ballet first performed on 18th May 1917, and created by a supergroup of world-famous European artists with Ballets Russes; Erik Satie, Jean Cocteau, Leonide Massine and Pablo Picasso. Parade subverted many of the artform’s conventions; the setting was a fairground and the ordinary streets of Paris, and the characters included clowns, acrobats, fire-eaters, and carnival acts to attract an audience; the score was inspired by music hall, ragtime, and fairground music; the orchestra’s instruments included a typewriter, a gun, a siren, milk bottles and a foghorn; and some of the dancers’ costumes were made of cardboard. National Dance Company Wales’ P.A.R.A.D.E. will see a supergroup of world-class Welsh artists, companies and venues – Marc Rees, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, writer Branwen Davies, aerialist Kate Lawrence, BAFTA-nominated actress Eiry Thomas, architectural designer Jenny Hall, composer Jack White, south Wales-based Rubicon Dance and north-west Wales-based Dawns i Bawb, Wales Millennium Centre, Pontio and a community cast in each venue – plus internationally renowned choreographer Marcos Morau and graffiti artist Pure Evil, joining forces to bring a spark of revolution to Wales. The action will begin, as it was depicted in the 1917 original, in the open air (in the Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay for the Cardiff performances, and outside Pontio's Level 2 in Bangor), where a call-to-arms for a political revolution will be gathering momentum and a giant sculpture brought to life. Audiences will be swept into the foyer, passing extraordinary performances including a dance loop inspired by the 1975 film The Stepford Wives, before settling in the auditorium to watch the event’s two core performances; a fresh, modern reimagining of the original Parade directed by Caroline Finn (with a live score* including all of Satie’s extraordinary instruments, and during which the dancers will create their own costumes out of paper), followed by Tundra, a new dance piece by Marcos Morau. Both dance pieces will be performed by NDCWales’ core dancers; Àngela Boix Duran, Ed Myhill, Elena Thomas, Robert Bridger, Camille Giraudeau, Cyril Durand-Gasselin, Evan Schwarz, and two student apprentice dancers, Marine Tournet and Mathew Prichard. P.A.R.A.D.E. will be a flagship event in Wales’ Russia ’17 programme, which marks the centenary of the Russian Revolution. Artist Marc Rees said: “The original Parade symbolised people’s mourning for their inner creativity, as industry cast an even greater shadow on our lives. A century later, and we can all still recognise that feeling, so here’s our chance to create a modern version of Parade as relevant now as it was then; a shock to the senses and a spark to revolt!” NDCWales’ Artistic Director, Caroline Finn said: "It's an honour and challenge to be taking on such an iconic piece as Parade - completely reimagining it and making it relevant for our audiences here in Wales. A collaboration like this really feels like a chance to celebrate NDCWales’ versatility as a company, surprise our audiences and inspire people think outside the box." Mixing politics, dance, history, graffiti, sculpture, circus, film, music and community participation, P.A.R.A.D.E. will not only be an unprecedented spectacle – a feast for the senses – but a reflection on Wales’ own modern history and its current political landscape. Listings Information P.A.R.A.D.E. Presented by National Dance Company Wales and Marc Rees In collaboration with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Rubicon Dance and Dawns i Bawb Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Tuesday 24 October 7pm Wednesday 25 October 1pm Wednesday 25 October 7pm Box Office: www.wmc.org.uk Tel: 029 2063 6464 Tickets: £17-£26 for evening performances, £10 for matinee Pontio, Bangor Saturday 28 October 7.30pm Sunday 29 October 3pm Box Office: www.pontio.co.uk Tel: 01248 382828 Tickets: £14.50, £12.50 conc. Running Time: approx. 2hrs inc. an interval Age guidance: 8+ (no under 2s) *Please note: BBC National Orchestra of Wales will perform live at the Wales Millennium Centre, and in a pre-recorded track at Pontio. National Dance Company Wales | ndcwales.co.uk | @ndcwales National Dance Company Wales is an award-winning company presenting work by some of the most celebrated international choreographers alongside creations by exciting new Wales-based talent. NDCWales is committed to working with young people, many of whom will be experiencing contemporary dance for the first time, to develop dance appreciation by watching, participating in and talking about dance. NDCWales presents opportunities for the public to experience contemporary dance in different ways. Through participation in various engagement activities on tour, such as workshops or interactive performances, audience members experience an introduction to the art form in a relaxed and open environment. Founded in 1983 as Diversions, the company took up residency in 2004 at the Dance House, Wales Millennium Centre. The Dance House is regarded as one of the best dance production and rehearsal facilities in Europe and is the home and dance hub for professional development and nurturing dance talent in Wales. National Dance Company Wales welcomed Caroline Finn as its new Artistic Director in September 2015 and Paul Kaynes as Chief Executive in February 2015 who, together, are leading the company to create work for new audiences and settings. National Dance Company Wales is registered as a Limited Company in England & Wales No. 1672419 and registered as a Charity in England & Wales No. 326227 National Dance Company Wales receives support from Arts Council of Wales and Welsh Government. For almost 90 years, BBC National Orchestra of Wales has played an integral role in the cultural and classical landscape of Wales, performing to audiences across the UK, abroad and on air. Led by Principal Conductor Thomas Søndergård, BBC NOW has a unique role as both a broadcast and national symphony orchestra. Generously supported by the Arts Council of Wales, and part of BBC Wales, the Orchestra presents annual seasons in Cardiff and Swansea, and as Wales’ national orchestra is committed to championing Welsh music and musicians. BBC NOW’s performances can be regularly heard across the BBC, on Radio 3, Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, with appearances biennially at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and annually at the BBC Proms. In 2015 BBC NOW visited South America for its most ambitious tour to-date, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia with a community residency, followed by performances across Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. BBC NOW’s dynamic learning programming offers unique opportunities to develop musical skills and explore the world of classical music. Building on its extensive work with Special Educational Needs schools, BBC NOW performed the first ever Relaxed Prom in 2017 at the Royal Albert Hall. The Orchestra’s home is BBC Hoddinott Hall, a world-class concert hall and studio in Cardiff Bay, where BBC NOW continues its work as the UK’s foremost soundtrack orchestra working on programmes and films including War and Peace, David Attenborough’s Life Story and Louis Theroux’s My Scientology Movie; and has recorded music for the Doctor Who series for the last 12 years. Launched in 1976, Rubicon is the community dance development organisation for the Cardiff & Newport region, and was one of the first of its kind in the UK. Rubicon’s work focuses on the twin themes of encouraging participation in dance and opening up progression routes which lay the foundations for careers in dance. Sector leadership and redefining artistic expression is central to what we do. Rubicon recognises its potential to lead the way in building new audiences for dance for the benefit of the entire sector. We deliver on average 150 sessions, to approximately 2000 people, each week at our centre in Adamsdown and at venues across the region. This offers the prospect of a receptive and artistically informed audience for our work and that of key artistic partners. We frequently challenge traditional views of what it means to dance, whether this is where we dance, who we dance with or what artistic expression looks like. Rubicon typically works in local communities with high levels of disadvantage. We dance with people in nurseries, care homes, schools, hospices and community venues. Our work includes those with disabilities and high support needs, as well as a programme of 12 regular sessions for older people. Our experience of providing dance for young people is widely respected as is our expertise in engaging with hard to reach groups. Rubicon runs Wales’ only fulltime preliminary dance training course which uniquely is delivered in a professional dance environment. Rubicon’s students are noted for the high levels of technique and artistry with their End of Year Show being regarded as a highlight of the dance calendar. The results we achieve speak for themselves with 86% of young people graduating from Rubicon’s Fulltime Course in 2016 being offered places at the UK’s major conservatoires and dance schools. Dawns i Bawb was formed in 1988 and is based at Galeri, Caernarfon. As the community dance organisation for North West Wales, Dawns i Bawb develops dance provision throughout the three counties of Conwy, Gwynedd and Ynys Môn. We collaborate and create with people and communities, amateur and professional dance practitioners, choreographers and companies. We believe that anyone can dance and strive to advocate the benefits of dance to our communities within the context of personal growth, health and social well-being, social and community interaction and cultural identity. Dawns i Bawb works with people with their own identity, history, beliefs, culture, language and passions. People with their own unique way of creating and moving. Our passion is to respond to this and the opportunities that we can provide that allow people to express themselves through the medium of dance. We as an organisation, have the opportunity to show our communities the positive and life-affirming impact that dance can have on the lives of people - ALL PEOPLE. Dawns i Bawb is a registered charity (No. 1109455) and a company limited by guarantee (No. 05412315). We are a portfolio client of the Arts Council of Wales. R17 is the 9-month long season of events by leading arts organisations across Wales which marks the centenary of the Russian Revolution in 2017. The programme features names such as Welsh National Opera, National Dance Company Wales and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. This is the first collaboration of its kind designed to be cultural reflection which also recognises Wales’ historic connections with the Russia of the time. R17 has been produced with the assistance of the Arts Council of Wales Lottery funding. The season of cultural events is apolitical and purely a reflection on the cultural resonance of a period in history. Why Wales? In addition to the passion of the Welsh arts community to produce and stage some of the best of Russian culture here next year, there is a strong historic resonance between the revolution and the radical traditions of the South Wales Valleys that forged immediate links to the emerging Soviet Union, with letters sent from Lenin himself to Valleys miners, the foundations of the first UK Communist Party in the Valleys, and the legacy of ‘Little Moscows’ such as Maerdy, whose socialist sympathies produced several important Communist trade unionists. There is significant evidence of Wales’ social, political and cultural links with Russia of that time, e.g. Lenin’s Letter to the miners; the foundations of the UK Communist Party; ‘Little Moscows’. R17.wales / R17.cymru |
| National Dance Company of Wales web site: http://www.ndcwales.co.uk |
| Catrin Rogers e-mail: catrin@thecornershoppr.com |
Wednesday, September 27, 2017 |
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