(5 / 5)

I recently had the privilege of going to see ‘Roots’ by National Dance Company Wales, at Theatr Clwyd.  This performance included four different dance pieces which consisted of ‘Ecrit’ ‘Why Are People Clapping ?’ ‘Codi’ and ‘Rugby: Annwyl/Dear’. These dances were performed by a small but strong ensemble cast that made the dances look really interesting. In between the dances, the audience got the opportunity to share their opinions/views on what they watched, which I think made the audience look deeper into the story behind each dance.

The first dance presented to the audience was ‘Ecrit’. This was a duet that was performed with one person behind a screen so this created a shadow-like figure. This was visually interesting for the audience and I made me think about the different things that it could represent. This helped to show the status of the two characters at different points in the dance. There were also sections in the dance that were performed without music. This made me realise that dance is just as effective without music as it is with music.

Another dance we saw was ‘Why Are People Clapping ?’. This one stood out to me the most because I found it fascinating how the dancers were creating the rhythm themselves and they all managed to stay in time. Although the rhythm didn’t change, the speed of the dance did and I found it clever how everything still managed to fit together perfectly.

The third dance ‘Codi’ had more of a theatrical vibe to it. As the dance progressed, the acting element became very clear. This made the audience connect with the characters emotions and got them hooked on the journey that they go through.

The last dance piece that was performed was ‘Rugby: Annwyl/Dear’. This included very strong ensemble work. I loved how energetic this piece was and how well the sport of Rugby was shown through a form of dance eg. lifts, running around, supporting each other. Although the dance was performed really well, I think that at times some of the movement was repetitive which sometimes made the story hard to follow.

Overall, I enjoyed hearing people’s views on each dance as they were sometimes different to what I thought so it made me think about the dance from a different perspective. Also, in the dance ‘Ecrit’, there was a section in the dance where one of the dancers sang a few lines of a song. I think this worked effectively as it made the audience realise that dancers also have other talents and this could be incorporated into a dance to put a twist on it. Finally I enjoyed how the acting through the dance pieces was over exaggerated as this helped the audience to understand what was going on throughout the dances. I think the show could have been better if some of the dancers shared their own views on the dances as it would have been interesting to hear if any of the storylines of the dances changed throughout the rehearsal process.

In conclusion, I would rate this five stars as I think that the audience interaction was incredibly unique and each individual dance was performed with a lot of emotions and with strong movements. 

(4 / 5)

The performance Roots is made up of four
short dances (Rygbi, Ecrit, Why Are People Clapping?, Codi). All four of these
pieces are from Wales. I personally got different ideas about each of the
dances as they progressed. I found that I often changed my mind of what I
thought the pieces were about.

The first piece we watched was Ecrit. Throughout this dance my ideas developed. I got the impression that it represented some kind of forbidden relationship because of the battle between the man’s shadow and the girl on stage. However, I also got the impression that it represented communication between a soldier and his girlfriend/ wife. As the piece progressed I found myself leaning towards the latter option. I feel that it was beautifully executed and I think having the male as a shadow to show they weren’t together was really effective. I found it really interesting how everyone had different opinions on the piece when we talked after the piece, however I feel that they all seemed to relate to one another.

The next piece was Why Are People Clapping? This piece was my favourite! In this piece I found it really interesting how they incorporated so many different elements into it. They used many familiar things such as clapping, tennis and head shoulders, knees and toes. It was also weird because clapping can be used in polar opposite situations, it can be used as support or in anger as a sort of come on kind of thing, or in a patronising way. I loved how the claps really controlled the whole of the dance and also switched the mood of the piece. I really like how it started and ended with the tennis match, which led me to believe that all these different parts in the middle were what was going on in peoples head as they watched the tennis, although I may have misinterpreted this.

The third dance was Codi. Throughout this
dance I got the strong impression that it was based on miners. The use of
headlights (which were worn on their necks) really helped to portray this scene
for me. This piece was full of emotion and it was something that really
represented what miners would go through. I think it was executed amazingly and
I love the use of the sticks. Now whilst I did love the use of lights on their
necks I found that at some points it also held them back in a way because it
meant there were many movements we lost because it was too dark. Although I did
love this piece.

Lastly Rygbi, which is pretty much explained in the title of it is based on rugby. I thought this piece was beautifully choreographed, it was amazing to watch popular rugby moves slowed down and turned into a beautiful dance that represents teamwork and helping each other out when they’re down. It had a really soft look to it even though it was mimicking a really hard and rough sport which I thought was really effective. I loved how the dancers all seemed to rely on each other throughout the piece which really added to the togetherness and community feel of rugby. I also read up on it and found out that it was actually made with some input from rugby players and fans, which I think really adds to the authenticity of the piece. The only criticism I have for this piece is I think it went on slightly too long. This piece lasted around twenty five minutes, and I felt that some of the movement were repeated throughout which meant we lost the rawness of the piece. I personally feel that this piece would have been a lot more effective and made more of an impact if it was slightly shorter.

Overall I really enjoyed the show! I loved how it was laid out and how interactive it was. I loved the discussion in between each piece, I feel that this really brought the audience together and it was lovely to hear other people’s interpretations of each piece. Overall I would give the show four stars!

Choreographers – Nikita Goile, Ed Myhill, Anthony Matsena, Feargus O Conchuir

Dancers – Nikita Goile, Ed myhill, Aisha Naamani, Moronfoluwa Odimayo, Elena Sgarbi, Tim Volleman, Marla King, Ellie Marsh

This touring programme of new pieces of contemporary dance creates something of a buzz – a buzz provoked by the NDCW’s Artistic Director, Fergus Ó Conchúir coming forward to encourage audience members to talk to someone near them who they don’t know about their reactions to the work.

The approach will
work for those who, like me, are a bit mystified by dance and perhaps also for
those who have come on their own.  It
might not appeal so much to purists because it generates a bit of atmospheric
untidiness:  conversations start up and
have to be quietened down.  Still, given
that the whole programme is not very long, there is time for all of this.

As for the main
event itself – the performances and the choreography –  I should repeat that I am relatively ignorant
as far as dance goes.  I am not dance
phobic but if I go to see a show it is usually a play or a concert, possibly an
opera, very occasionally a ballet – almost never contemporary dance.  Unfortunately for development officers, we
are all creatures of habit.  This is a
shame because, ‘knowing what we like’, we don’t venture far from our comfort
zones to take in new experiences. I had a complimentary ticket from Theatr Clwyd
and a free evening and I’m glad I was able to see Roots.

The programme contains four pieces.  Ecrit is choreographed by Nikita Goile and features two dancers.  Both Why Are People Clapping? by Ed Myhill and Codi by Anthony Matsena featured four or five, and Rygbi by Fergus O’Conchuir himself featured seven – or was it eight?  The imprecision in my counting is not just middle-aged muddle: it’s a reflection of the impact of all the dynamic and fluid body movements out in front.  You lose track of numbers because of the intensity of what is going on.

Ecrit is about a man and a woman and the
balance of power in heterosexual relationships. Rygbi is about rugby, prompting thoughts of what it would be like
if economics and logistics permitted a full team of at least thirteen dancers.

However, I’m not
sure that what the pieces are said to be about, or what the choreographers and
the dancers themselves intend to do, matters much.  The performances take you some distance
beyond the start point.  The titles and
notes really only serve as spring boards, or launching points for your
reactions.  (You don’t think about rugby,
for example, in the same way as you might watching a performance of Hull
Truck’s Up and Under).  The show’s overall title, Roots, is not hugely satisfactory
because it reminds you of the eminently forgettable best-seller/blockbuster
movie/TV series phenomenon.  But it’s
there to let you know that what you going to see is largely about Wales, having
been made in Wales by people who work there, or who are Welsh themselves.

Knowing that the
start point for Ecrit was a letter to
Diego Riviera by Frida Kahlo made me search for references to them and their
painting, to murals and to Mexico – but only briefly.   Dance tends to liberate you from your
thinking through the movements – in this case by the movement of the woman’s
hands, which dance together, forming shapes expressive of both passion and
suffering.  The piece depends on a
dramatic use of a screen and shadow play to convey the essential distance and
separation in a relationship.  The male
dancer is concealed from view – as he is from his lover – and appears at first
only in silhouette, the back lighting permitting him to grow massively in
stature, like a nightmare monster and then shrink.

Why Are People Clapping? asks a question for which of course there is no real, single answer, other than ‘just for fun’ – although the loud, sustained and rhythmically very accurate clapping throughout must be hard work for the performers. It provides a percussive sound wall which the dancers move against, either together or in solo movements.  It’s very reminiscent of flamenco, except that here there is no singing and no shouting and, as with much of the programme, the musical accompaniment is not very noticeable.

Codi is apparently about ‘the strength
of the Welsh communities who come together to tackle isolation and depression
during troubled times’ but if you hadn’t read the programme notes you could be
excused from thinking it was about coal mining. 
This is because the main impact of the piece is achieved through the
ingenious use of single bright lights worn around the neck by the dancers,
instead of on helmets.  They shine out
through a smoky atmosphere at you and their beams strike out in all
directions.  The dancers are also dressed
in overalls which don’t restrict them but which do suggest they are miners.

Rygbi was very
well done – NDCW performed it for the World Cup in Japan – but I found it the
least interesting of the four pieces.  This could be because it came on last and by
that time, despite the conversations and the detailed introduction, I had had
enough contemporary dance for one evening. 
I wanted there to be more humour in it – rugby being fairly ridiculous  – and even some ugliness – rugby is also often
quite unpleasant. (It’s not a beautiful game!)  I was unsure about what the dancers were
wearing – brightly coloured ensembles, tops and shorts and long socks which
were definitely not team strips.  What
happened drew a lot on typical rugby moves but I was unsure, I suppose, of what
the piece was saying and it wasn’t a comfortable uncertainty.

That said, this
was a good evening’s entertainment, giving me plenty to think about and lots to
remember.  It may also encourage me to
see contemporary dance more often.  I
think, in the end, it’s a pity that, for a number of reasons, dance occupies a
separate niche in theatre and that it has to be enjoyed in isolation.  Dance was originally central to drama and
even today it can be effectively introduced in plays.  A weakness of much modern drama is its lack
of physicality, with actors relying on their delivery of text and not
understanding the importance of suggestive body language and sinuous physical
expression.  What shows like Roots demonstrate is how evocative and
expressive pure movement can be on its own, when it is performed by talented
and disciplined dancers in companies like NDCW. 
Long may they continue to tour.

Roots is an engaging, diverse, and emotional production that marries Welshness with contemporary dance and gives life to art that is accessible without compromise on quality. Roots is the biannual production by the National Dance Company that brings dance to audiences around the world and around Wales. It makes its way into venues with little technical equipment and space, in towns and villages around Wales, to bring dance to new audiences. Roots succeeds equally in introducing new audiences to dance and in delighting dance enthusiasts. 

This year’s production features four very different pieces from four choreographers at different stages in their career and artistic maturity. Écrit, choreographed and performed by Nikita Goile is an emotional dance recounting a conflictual love relationship executed beautifully. Goile, a budding choreographer, combines an elaborate work of hands, inspired by Indian Bharata Natyam dance, with her lover’s silouette behind a curtain, and a more traditional duet form. It is effective in conveying the power imbalance between the two lovers, the hurt, and the closeness. The only weakness of the piece comes from its inspiration: the letters of Frida Kahlo to Diego Rivera. Although they both had other lovers, Kahlo suffered from Rivera’s numerous affairs. In Écrit, Goile’s graceful and gentle movements do not capture the intensity of Kahlo. Having suffered from polio, Kahlo had very weak legs, underwent many surgeries, and had miscarriages. Kahlo’s suffering body was the source of her art and Kahlo used her body to reinterpret her Mexicanidad. Écrit is at its strongest when Kahlo is forgotten and Goile is herself. Goile conveys a nuanced fragility, which contrasts with the powerful gestures and movements of Moronfoluwa Odimayo as her dominating lover. It is effective and moving. 

The second piece, Why Are People Clapping? is also by a new choreographer, Ed Myhill. It is an entertaining and funny piece that conveys the joy of dancing to the rhythm of elaborate clapping. In contrasts with the intimate piece Écrit, Myhill’s Why Are People Clapping? plays to the audience and for the audience. It begins with a tennis match with no actual balls or rackets, conveyed by only a single clap and well-timed movement. It is all so well tuned that you can almost see the ball hit the racket. The piece includes dancers in a semicircle taking turns to do and enjoy a solo to Steve Reich’s clapping music, followed by claps that bring order and dictate action, a catwalk, and a run through as many facial expressions as possible. I would have liked the tennis players in 1970s headbands and wristbands for a replay of Borg v. McEnroe, but Clapping oozes fun anyway.  

The third piece, Codi (rise up) is by emerging choreographer Anthony Matsena, who is finding his voice in a socially and politically aware dance infused with energy. Codi takes the audience underground, into the mines of the Welsh Valleys. There is a sense of suffocation, isolation, struggle, and helplessness. The small headtorches the dancers wear around their necks are used effectively to convey the darkness of suffering, of perishing, of being forgotten. Then, they rise up. They beat wooden rods to the ground and the energy rushes through the body. There is power in being together. Together, we can rise up. When I interviewed Matsena, he told me that once you recover, you still have the past hurt with you, like a ‘stain on the shirt.’ With soot on their clothes and faces, the dancers face the audience calling for attention. The past is not forgotten; it is there to give strength and purpose. 

Roots concludes with the longer piece Rygbi. Annwyl i mi, by Fearghus Ó Conchúir, the Artistic Director of NDC Wales. Rygbi captures the passion and synergy of players and fans of the game, which ripple across the whole of society in Wales. It is the national game that takes over cities altering time, colouring the pavements with people in red shirts, and getting us stuck in traffic. Rygbi does not borrow movements from the game, it extracts the essence of rugby and gives it a new form. The piece alternates duets, ensembles, and solos to guide us through effort, injuries, fatigue, hopes, victories, and defeats. The dancers-players touch one another and in that touch is being part of a whole, something bigger than oneself, that is made of each one’s individuality. Dancers, like players, rely on one another, know what the other can do, is likely to do, the other’s weaknesses and strengths. Like players, they create together. Rygbi is elegant and strong. It is a painting and it is theatre. Ó Conchúir takes us onto the pitch with colour, movement, and music. He makes us breathe the tension of the competition, feel the strain of the muscles, and sense the elation of victory. Rygbi uses the language of dance expertly to tap into our emotions, thoughts, and ideals, and creates a moment of shared passion and commitment. 

Roots is currently on tour. More information can be found here.