PULSE | PWLS DIGITAL PROGRAMME Please note: Audio description is available at all venues – talk to the theatre about accessing a headset or you can download a MP3 file which you can play on our phone on your own headphones Go to the audio description Tonight we share two of our latest creations, Waltz and Say Something. In Waltz by Marcos Morau the dancers emerge shimmering in crisp light. Like moving sculptures they invite you to find meaning in a turbulent and chaotic world. The Waltz soundtrack suggests “this is a waltz thinking about our bodies, what they mean for our salvation”. Perhaps Waltz is a moment to think about ourselves, others, and our world, all that binds us and divides us. In Say Something by Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui (SAY) every sound you hear is made by the voices of the extraordinary MCZani and Dean Yhnell. The artists’ infectious passion for music is woven throughout this work. Say Something reminds us that moving to music, wherever that may be, is how we can make sense of the world. A PULSE is something we all share, a rhythm with us throughout our lives. It is a measure of time, a shifting rhythm responding to the world around us. Tonight PULSE will fill the space around you, we invite you to listen to what that inspires in you. There is no right and wrong: your experience, what you imagine, feel and think is what tonight is all about. PULSE is just one aspect of the dance we make and share with people across Wales and the world. From dancing with people who live with Parkinson’s to inspiring young people to try dance for themselves, we dance to enable people to express ideas beyond words. If you share a passion for dance, join us here. Thank you for choosing to spend your time with us and everyone around you here this evening. Let’s move, together. We offer sincere thanks to the Arts Council of Wales and the trustees of the Colwinston Charitable Trust for supporting PULSE as part of their investment in NOW in recognition of our 40th year. Thanks also to our much-valued Lifft supporters. National Dance Company Wales Running Order Waltz by Marcos Morau: 30 minutes Interval: 20 minutes Say Something by Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui (SAY): 31 minutes On 9 and 21 November there will then be a BSL supported post-show discussion following the performance (after a brief pause): 15 minutes MEET THE DANCERS Production Team Technical Team: Geraint Chinnock, David Enos, Harvey Evans, Will Lewis Artistic Director: Matthew Robinson Executive Producer: Chris Ricketts Rehearsal Director: Victoria Robinson Chief Executive: Paul Kaynes and the rest of the NDCWales team. Waltz by Marcos Morau A haunting waltz plays in the distance. From the ashes a tangle of shining creatures emerge to inhabit a new world. In the chaos and turbulence their only hope is to remain united. Choreographer: Marcos Morau Choreographic Assistants: Valentin Goniot and Marina Rodriguez Music: Valse Triste, Op 44. by Jean Sibelius. Suspirium by Thom Yorke Crawler by Holly Herndon Pneuma by Caterina Barbieri Sound Design: Marcos Morau Lighting Design: Bernat Jansà Costume Supervisor and Maker: Elizabeth Catherine Chiu Costume Maker: Danial Thatcher Lighting Programmer: Will Lewis Go INSIDE Waltz and watch a behind-the-scenes video of dancers Ed and Jill talking about the creation process Image Gallery "Music has always been a great source of inspiration. Of any genre and any age, they always talk about me at different times, I like to listen to music while doing anything. Waltzes have always evoked in me a character of partying, of power, historical context, reasons for celebration, elevation, protocol, ritual, conventions… I have placed the waltz in various contexts, put the waltz in crisis, to such an extent that the waltz has stopped playing, they have left remains, ashes from another time, ashes tinged with the luxury of the halls where the waltz began to be heard." Marcos Morau Marcos Morau Between Barcelona and New York, Marcos Morau studied photography, movement and theatre. He builds worlds and imaginary landscapes where movement and image meet and shallow one another. For over ten years, Marcos runs La Veronal, as director, choreographer, and set, light and costumes designer. He’s travelled the world presenting his pieces at festivals, theatres and international contexts. Apart from his work with La Veronal, Marcos Morau is an invited artist for various companies and theatres to develop new creations, always half way between scenic arts and dance, with special attention to dramaturgy. As the youngest National Dance Award in Spain, his language is part of a heritage, from abstract movement and physical theatre, blended together in a surrealist and dark amalgam. A powerful body language based in the annihilation of any organic logic, dissecting movement and making it into a unique identity. Photo: Albert Pons Say Something by Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui (SAY) Say Something explores what it means to 'represent', and the ever-growing expectation to have a voice. Working with beatboxers MC Zani and Dean Yhnell, this work is a relentlessly physical, visual and sonic feast. Music Creation: MC Zani and Dean Yhnell Costume Design: George Hampton Wale Lighting Design: Joshie Harriette Costume Makers: George Hampton Wale, Deryn Tudor and Octavia Austin Beatboxer (Bangor, London, Cardiff): Dean Yhnell Go INSIDE Say Something and watch a behind-the-scenes video where Sarah and Yukiko talk about the creation process. Image Gallery Music was the catalyst of our collaboration. It is always at the forefront of our work. We've always had a passion for performing live with musicians so we are thrilled that we can bring Beatboxer Beat Technique(Dean) into "Say Something" to perform live in some venues. SAY dance SAY SAY is simply an acronym for Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui. These two dance artists have been performing and creating internationally since 2012. In 2019, Sarah and Yuki joined their dynamic forces and formed a collective where they developed their passion for “making up” dances to songs & new music that they simply love to bounce to. SAY takes huge pride in including the music artists they work with in their creative process. It is integral that an honest collaboration occurs between both art forms to create complete synergy between music and dance to introduce new audiences to contemporary dance. Sarah’s choreographic credits include Balletboyz (the intro.), Royal Court, TrinityLaban, Mountview (As You Like It, Children of Eden, Candide). She recently had her West End debut as a movement director for the sell-out play Cruise. Yuki’s choreographic credits include Norrdans, London School of Contemporary Dance, London Studio Centre, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Ballet Boyz (R&D). Her own works have been commissioned by and toured to The Place, DanceXchange, Riley Theatre, Norrlands Opera and beyond. She has also choreographed musicals and theatre productions such as A Little Night Music (Story House), GUY: A New Musical (Bunker Theatre) and Miss Julie (Southwark Playhouse). Photo: Henry Curtis The Costumes "The costumes take their inspiration from 90s sportswear and outdoor clothing. Thinking about girl groups like TLC, films like clueless and looking at 90s ski-wear as a starting point. They are made of technical fabrics - ripstop nylons, waterproofs and jerseys - fabrics that reference movement of the body as well as a protection of the body. The fabrics also reference analogue technologies such as parachutes or kites to reference a kind of freedom and inhabiting of space and going on an adventure. Each dancer has an individual look to speak to their persona. The silhouette is mostly baggy and relaxed, with contrasting tight fitting crop tops here and there in homage to TLC. There is an ambiguity of place - we are not sure where they are whether outside, inside, in space, in the sea. There is a clear 90s reference but also a futuristic aesthetic. The colour palette is a mix of lime green, baby pink and three different tones of grey - these colours all tread the line of being pastels but also bright and saturated colours - this allows for the colours to be highly changeable under the lighting." George Hampton Wale - Costume Designer The Lighting “The lights are constantly shifting and evolving, they are never still and static, it’s as if they are a physical performer themselves, breathing, shifting and pulsing colour throughout. The white floor allows the illusion of the lighting to be painting the floor; there’s the sensation of a futuristic place, of a void where exploration is happening. The lighting tries to enhance the physicality and connectivity of the dancers, as well as their their emotion on stage. The colour choice is a balance between contrast and blending them. Pink and Blue, Green and Yellow, Blue and Cyan, Blue and Amber and Amber and Pink” Joshie Hariette - Lighting Designer If you have 5 minutes we'd love you to take our survey and then Join our Mailing List Thanks for buying a ticket and supporting National Dance Company Wales. The story doesn’t have to end here… You can continue to play your part by becoming a Lifft Supporter. As a charity, we rely on the generosity of our audiences to help us continue to present work of the highest artistic quality and imagination in bold and brilliant ways across scales, spaces and locations. We involve people in participatory and creative opportunities, develop talent and enable artists to fulfil their unique aspirations. From just £2.50 a month, you can join a community that believes in the power of dance to enrich lives. Join Lifft today PULSE | PWLS is supported by: