In June this year the contemporary company Diversions, founded in 1983, changed its name to National Dance Company of Wales, to underline both its connection with Wales and the level of prestige it has achieved. The company began this triple bill with its best foot forward. Hinterland, by co-founder Roy Campbell Moore, is set – suitably enough – to Alun Hoddinott’s Welsh Dance Suites. Campbell Moore says it’s “about different characters interacting; young romance, corrosive anxiety, playfulness, humour and high drama”. It’s all there, nicely done by five dancers. Most impressive were Vivi Keskinen in the long, twisting, writhing opening solo (anxiety I assume), and Maria Hayday, dancing with Yuval Lev in a passionate duet. Hayday is a former recipient of the Robert Cohan scholarship for Outstanding Promise, and justified that convincingly here and in the final piece of the evening. Suzi Dorey’s subtly-tinted diaphanous dresses float beautifully, almost independently, around the bodies of the dancers.
Veil of Stars, by Greek choreographer Andonis Foniadakis, is an interesting piece, with the dancers in metallic masks and costumes that create a mysterious atmosphere without telling us anything in particular. The dancers look good in it; this is a company that clearly means business, and can do the business.
Sadly, no amount of talent can disguise the foolishness of Nigel Charnock’s Lunatic. “The work is flavoured by earlier times, but crafted with the immediate engagement desired by the YouTube Generation,” he says. In an attempt to achieve this (whatever it means), Charnock has thrown in choreographically everything but the kitchen sink.
There are disjointed scenes to a disjointed selection of music; we start with the dancers in old-fashioned pyjamas, and end with the girls ripping off 1950s-style bras and suspender-belts – no, they have stuff on underneath! Earlier, they shout things out or descend into the audience. In row five, my shoulders were briefly, not unpleasingly, manipulated by Australian dancer Lee Johnston. On the plus side, they do some nice dancing in the course of this facile work. The company is at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on November 6.
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