THE sensational dancers of Wales' National Dance Company have been running dance workshops in local schools and performing their ground breaking work at Milford Haven's Torch Theatre for more years than some of us care to remember - many of their early pupils now with children of their own.
It's great to see then that Cardiff based Diversions, who celebrated their 25th anniversary last year, will be returning at the beginning of February to perform a spellbinding triple-bill to play out the Torch's lively sell-out winter season of entertainment.
Entitled Bitter Suite, the company's evening performance includes three exciting new works created by three very different choreographers and include some great music!
Form is choreographed by bold Belgian choreographer Stijn Celis. A mesmerising, cutting edge piece combining the voice of the legendary James Brown and music from celebrated New York composer Steve Reich, it also features some tribal sounds and words, displayed in moving text across the stage from Peter Fischli and David Weiss' Will Happiness Find Me? The costumes include exquisite hand-made shirts that evoke dress shirts and baroque clothing.
Choreographer Nigel Charnock explained that the title Lunatic, the next piece in the triple bill, came from dreams, nightmares and the moon. Another strong influence on his piece is a period which Nigel finds fascinating - the '50s - so he has included music from that era, including Glenn Miller's delightful Moonlight Serenade.
Four years ago choreographer and founder of Diversions, Roy Campbell-Moore, was invited to create a short gala piece for the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre and he worked with a selection from Alun Hoddinott's Welsh Dance Suite. After the production, Alun spoke to Roy; thrilled to see his music set to dance, he wanted to write a piece of music for Diversions. Very sadly, he died before the piece could come to light and so Roy decided to return to his Welsh Dance Suite.
As the original nature of Roy's piece, Hinterland, is based on his feeling for Welsh landscape, people and songs, he has created a colourful environment for the performance to take place in. Working with artist Emrys Williams, who has created the colour fields on the set to represent the seductive glow of Wales across the different seasons, the set endeavours to capture the colours and shapes of a typical Welsh landscape: the rolling hills of Powys or where the Rhossili hill of the Gower comes down to the beach.
One of Europe's busiest dance companies, Diversions play to packed audiences in venues across Europe. If you have seen them perform before, you know what a delight awaits you - it may be time to take part in their workshop?
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