Sherman Theatre
The National Dance Company of Wales is currently touring with an engaging and exciting repertoire, focusing on a premiere of their newest work Folk.
Folk is a music box of dystopian delights presented with the detailed finesse of a Wes Anderson film. In her first work for the National Dance Company of wales, Artistic Director Caroline Finn creates a community of misfits inspired by characters from 18th century paintings. Overhanging the whole work (in a literal sense) is an inverted tree that has shed its leaves. The pile of leaves, and muted colours of the scenography imply a moment of stasis in which autumn has not quite become winter. The costumes also reference a suspension of time; opulent materials moving towards a moment of decay. Are we observing the decaying minds of courtiers who have lost their position? More than one dancer engages in physical and verbal conversations with themselves and the group; inarticulate expressions rather than mad mutterings. Time, purpose, and mood shift quickly within the work, from languid duets to trance like shuffles around the stage. At times atmosphere changes too quickly and I am left wishing the work was longer than its 25 minutes duration. However these small questions are brushed aside by the committed performances of the dancers who have a clear investment in the work and its implied narrative of kinship.
If you have missed the earlier performances, I would encourage you to hurry and book your tickets for the shows in April and May here.
words GUNDIJA ZANDERSONA