Laboratori 2021 North Wales - November 2021 Returning for its third year, National Dance Company Wales’ Laboratori invited choreographers to explore and develop their creative practice, under the mentorship of leading figures in the dance sector. Giving choreographers a week of paid mentorship in the studio with NDCWales dancers, Laboratori creates a safe, open space for innovation and experimentation in which to try out new ideas and interrogate existing ones. This year Laboratori took place over two weeks in both North and South Wales; one week in the Dance House in Cardiff, through the medium of English, and one week in Pontio in Bangor, through the medium of Welsh. Find out more about the South Wales Laboratori 2021 North Wales Mentor: Sioned Huws North Wales Choreographers: Angharad Harrop, Anya Sirina North Wales Dancers: Sioned Bowen, Elan Elidyr Supported by: Gallery Sioned Huws Mentor Sioned is a Welsh choreographer based in London, born in Bangor 1965 and spent her childhood on the family farm in Snowdonia. She started making contemporary dance and performance in New York 1989, whilst studying at the Merce Cunningham Studios, after her training at the Laban Centre London 1983-86 and dancing with Transitions for one year 1986-87. Her work focuses on perception, memory, person and place within choreographic structures; systems patterning small details that allow for the unexpected within a world sensed through an awareness of physical movement. Moving on the Rhythm of One is a new project, started by way of an encounter between dance and psychoanalysis, to dance our way with words in new patterns moving the body in language. 2009 Sioned was recipient of a Creative Wales Ambassadors Award; 2009-11 and 2015-18 an International Program Award by The Saison Foundation, Tokyo, in collaboration with ARTizan for her Aomori Project and Odori-Dawns-Dance that toured to over thirty venues in UK, Asia, Europe and Australia. Sioned continues to ask the question “How dance can have a body that does not have an image?” Angharad Harrop Choreographer Angharad is a Welsh Dance Artist based in North Wales. Her practice is embedded within community arts and education and explores relationships between people and place. Angharad has choreographed and performed for Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, National Theatre Wales, and Light, Ladd and Emberton and collaborated with choreographers and directors including Marc Rees, Julie Nioche and Filipa Francisco. Angharad is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy, regularly teaching at institutions across the UK. Anya Sirina Choreographer Anya Sirina is a dance-artist and choreographer based in-between Gwynedd and Glasgow. In her work, Anya saturates movements with meaning through the use of repetition to create an atmosphere of flux wherein actions may seem violent, sensual and playful all at once. In her choreographic work, Anya creates movement compositions that are driven by conceptual and visual narratives of transformation to engross the audience in liminal space. Anya is excited to be part of this year’s Laboratori to delve deeper into her choreographic practice and explore new research ideas with the dancers. Anya Sirina is currently supported by Dance North, Kokoro Arts: Access and Inclusion in the Dance Sector programme, Dancer’s Emerging Bursary Scheme at Dance Base, Hospitalfield Graduate Programme and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Bruce Millar Fellowship. Sioned Bowen Dancer Sioned is currently working with Ballet Cymru on the pre professional course after recently graduating from The Northern Ballet School, Manchester. She also trained as an associate with Elmhurst Ballet School and Ballet Cymru. Sioned has performed in many venues across the UK including Her Majesty’s Theatre, London and St David’s Hall, Cardiff. She is looking forward to being part of Laboratori 2021 in her native language, Welsh! Elan Elidyr Dancer Inspired by Aberystwyth Arts Center's School of Dance, Elan Elidyr studied dance at Rubicon Dance, Cardiff and Iwanson International School of Contemporary Dance in Munich, Germany. After graduating she returned to Wales where she has won bursaries from the Arts Council and Cwmni Franwen and has worked with companies such as NTW and Theatr Clwyd while also working on independent projects. Since August 2020 he has been working as part of the Groundwork Pro team.