The first piece Ecrit presented by National Dance Company Wales as part of the Roots tour was based on a Mexican relationship. What I took from this was that even though the man was the one who was restricted in prison it seemed to me as though he was getting his freedom through the woman that he loved and he was living his life through her.

The second piece was called Why Are People Clapping and the interpretation I got out of this was that there was always one person who was in control and whenever that person clapped the rest would follow and whenever someone almost didn’t listen then they would then become the one in control.  Overall I feel this was an OK performance and I feel that it could have been more clear as to what it was that was going on.

Codi was the name of the third piece and it was about the welsh miners. The interpretation I took from this was that it was about the struggles the miners would face. I also took the deep groans of the backing music as the horses pulling the carts of coal from deep within the mountains and I also thought it was about the explosion.

The last piece was called Rygbi and the interpretation I got from this was that it was about the love that the Welsh have for Rugby. Personally I liked how they used actual rugby movements and routines to show emotions.

(4 / 5)

Roots, presented at Theatre Clwyd, was an excellent dance performance. With four pieces: Ecrit, Why Are People Clapping?!, Codi, and Rygbi: Annwyl/Dear (in celebration of the Rugby World Cup in Japan). The production kept you on your feet, never once knowing what was to be expected. Even the opening of the show was well presented by choreographer Fearghus Ó Conchúir who gave off a wonderful vibe that made you squeal in excitement, waiting for the show to begin. Even in the breaks of the scenes, the audience were given time to chat with each other of what they think the show was about, what they liked and any other questions to put towards the cast, crew, and company.

Where there were 4 performances I will say the
1st: Ecrit, and the 3rd:Codi, were my favourite; the 1st act seemed to be based
off Frieda and her lover Diego, with strong movements and flexible arm
movements, the two dancers had put together such a good job that I would put
that as number one. Everything about it, the chemistry between the actors, the
music, the lighting, and especially their clever way of having one large sheet
center left of the stage, and then there would be a light casting through and
the esteem dancer: Moronfoluwa Odimaya, would dance behind and create this
magnificent silhouette. What I loved the most about this piece was not that it
was swift, intricate, and elegant, but how the dancers were so in sync and even
when there was a sheet between them, it would look as if they were standing
right next to each other.

Although Ecrit was my favourite, everyone gave it their all. However there were a few routines such as Codi, where the fog machine did give off an eerie looming effect on the stage and with the lights attached to the dancers; sometimes all you could see were the lights and not so much of the dance that I would rather be focusing on. Rygbi, was very well presented, it was wonderful to see a large group work so well in carrying out the performance, I felt at times it become a little repetitive, Where the other dances were shorter, they got their point across, and I feel that is mostly because given a certain amount time for presenting, you have all lots of ideas that you would want to put across which makes it even more interesting and making you wish you see more.

Overall, I have such high respect for this amazing company and its dancers. Being a student from Coleg Cambria, we create few devised pieces, either because we don’t have enough experience with dance in general, or that you have “writer’s block”, and watching this performance really gave a better approach as to high I can interpret some of the moves I had seen that evening into one of my own pieces.

What an inspiring, fun and lively night, I would recommend Roots 100%. I would love to give this production a 4 star rating, and would definitely bring my family and friends to watch this again and again.

Choreographers/Directors: Fearghus O Conchuir, Anothony Matsena, Ed Myhill, Nikita Goalia

Dancers: Ed Myhill, Nikita Goalia, Aisha Naamani, Moronfoluwa Odimaya, Elena Sgarbi, Tim Volleman, Marla King, and Ellie Marsh.

(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