Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Thurs 26 Jan
words: RHIAN LEWIS
Last Thursday’s premiere of National Dance Company Wales’ new spring tour at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, saw an international bill offering work from three world-class choreographers who have created a trio of vibrant and exciting dance works.
The triple bill kicked off with the work Phantoms Of Us which was created by company choreographer Eleesha Drennan. The stage design by Wales-based artist Sue Williams exposed the human body through skin-tight, skin-coloured costumes. The 12 dancers seemed androgynous, with the costumes giving the impression of them being a tribe of beings. The movement is off-kilter and disjointed with moments of luscious indulgence. As the dancers come together in beautiful moments of unison, the sheer power of the performers does the choreography justice.
Following on from Drennan’s work, Ohad Naharin’s B/olero & Black Milk opens up and changes the atmosphere of the space. Beginning with a female duet, green lighting creates a magical, elfin feeling, with the dancers performing quirky, almost comical movement, pulling some laughter from the audience. Moving to the well-known Bolero music, the dancers work perfectly together with a snappy urgency discreetly competing with each other to catch the audiences’ eye.
The second half of the piece, Black Milk, features only the male dancers of the company. There are clear tribal influences on the work as they move with ferocious power and intensity. The men work as a team, curving and slicing up the space. They brand themselves by smearing mud on their naked torsos, completing the masculine imagery. Despite there being no clear connection between the two halves of the work, both sections are distinctive and effective in their performance.
Finally, the trio of dance was completed by The Grammar Of Silence by Itzik Galili. Exploring intimacy and the desire for something unattainable, the piece begins with a solo dancer sitting lost in thought while haunting tones fill the air. The sudden punctuation of strong, pulsating music worked the seven other dancers into a frenzy; emphasising the tension and conflict as they filled the space with athletic, powerful movement. The evening showed off the NDCW dancers at their best, with the perfect mix of emotional intensity and strong technical ability.
The NDCW spring tour continues around the UK until May. Info: www.ndcwales.co.uk