Trinity Laban’s leading student training company showcases dancers in three brand new works from established choreographers, in celebration of its 35th year anniversary.
Sat 4 March – Dance House / Ty Dawns, Cardiff
Choreographed by Cristian Duarte, Oded Ronen and Charles Linehan
“Performances by this enterprising company are always an eye-opener.” (Guardian Guide)
Transitions Dance Company’s 2017 triple bill showcases the next generation of contemporary dance performers from Trinity Laban with twelve MA students performing three brand new pieces from choreographers Cristian Duarte, Oded Ronen and Charles Linehan.
Since its beginnings – founded in 1982 by original Martha Graham Dance Company member Bonnie Bird – this pioneering company has aimed to bridge the gap between training and a professional performance career for graduate dancers. Transitions Dance Company aims to allow company members to gain practical experience of life in a touring dance company whilst simultaneously completing their MA Dance Performance. Past alumni of the company include distinguished artists such as Sir Matthew Bourne (New Adventures), Luca Silvestrini (Luca Silvestrini’s Protein), and Emma Gladstone (Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Dance Umbrella).
This year, there are two Welsh dancers who form part of the twelve-strong company. Originally from North Wales, Bryn Aled commented –
“Having the opportunity to perform three very contrasting challenging pieces in Wales is an honour and a privilege. This kind of performance was not regularly accessible to me while living in Wales, so being able to share this work with a Welsh audience is a very exciting prospect, and having a fellow Welsh person in the company makes it even more special!”
“Mae’r cyfle i performio tair gwaith newydd hollol wahanol i’w gilydd yng Nghymru yn rhywbeth arbenig ac yn braint. Nid oedd y math hwn o berfformiad ar gael yn amal i mi tra bod i’n byw yng Nghymru, felly mae’n cyfroes i cael y cyfle i rhannur gwaith gyda chynulleidfa Gymraeg, ac i wneud hyn gyda cyd-dawnsiwr Cymreig mae’r brofiad yn fwy arbennig!”
Ex-National Youth Dance Wales member Osian Meilir added –
“I’m very excited that I get to perform in Wales with Transitions Dance Company this year. It’ll be nice to share my work with people who have watched me grow as a dancer from a very young age and in a way give back to those who have supported me to get where I am today.”
“Rwy’n hynod gyffrous am y cyfle i allu perfformio gyda Transitions Dance Company yng Nghymru eleni. Fydd hi’n hyfryd i allu rhannu fy ngwaith gyda’r bobol sydd wedi dilyn fy ngyrfa ers yn blentyn a rhoi yn ôl i’r rhai sydd wedi fy nghefnogi ar hyd y daith.”
& from Brazilian-born and based choreographer Cristian Duarte breaks with traditional conventions, leading to the performers exploring a particular relationship with the audience. Humorous, bizarre, off-centre and all set to an arrhythmic electronic score by composer Tom Monteiro, the piece twists and turns like a river being navigated for the first time.
Kintsugi is a touching and tender piece inspired by the Japanese art of the same name, involving repairing broken pottery with gold. Featuring new music from prolific dance accompanist Ronen Kozokaro, the dancers inhabit a broken, lonely and fragmented world, searching for reconnection and community.
Nothing but Time has emerged from Charles Linehan’s research combining choreography and drone technology in which shadows become significant. Absorbed by their patterns of action and changing relationships with others, the performers move with awareness and intricate precision as if both bound by and unaware of time passing.
Cristian Duarte is a Sao Paulo-based dancer and choreographer, who has been dedicated to research and creation in contemporary dance since 1994. He trained in São Paulo with Cia Nova Dança before graduating from Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s P.A.R.T.S. in 2002. Since then he has been developing his own projects and collaborating with artists from Brazil and many other countries. His work as a choreographer has been presented internationally and has been recognised by leading dance awards in Brazil.
Oded Ronen is an Israeli choreographer and Co-Director of Humans in Motion (HIM) and works between Israel, Australia and Europe. He is the founder of Imagery in Motion (IM), a method straddling imagination and physics, placing emphasis on the human experience of both the dancer and the viewer. He trained at Bodyworks, Trinity Laban and Rambert before dancing for CeDeCe Dance Company (Portugal), Kolben Dance Company (Israel) and Fresco Dance Company (Israel). As a choreographer, Ronen has created works for HIM, Jerusalem Ballet, Albania Dance Theater, West Australia Academy of Performing Arts, Ochre Dance Company and XPATS International Project.
Charles Linehan has created over 15 pieces for his own company and numerous national and international commissions. Charles Linehan Company has performed in over 20 countries and received commissions from Dance Umbrella, Royal Festival Hall, Joint Adventures, Dance 4 Nottingham, PACT Zollverein Essen, Danceworks (Toronto), and Danspace (New York). He has been Choreographer in Residence at The Place Theatre (London) and Joint Adventures (Munich). After living in Berlin for two years, he and his family returned to the UK in 2013 when he was appointed to his current position of Reader in Choreography at Trinity Laban. In 2015 he was invited to be an Associate Artist at Dance 4 (Nottingham).
Trinity Laban will be holding auditions for next year’s Transitions Dance Company across March and April, following the announcement of Jarrko Partenen, Hagit Yakira and Richard Chappell as the choreographers for next year’s tour in 2017. For more information, visit https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/study/how-to-apply/dance-applications/dance-auditions
@transitionsdc | #Transitionsdc2017 | www.trinitylaban.ac.uk
Running Time: Approx. 90 minutes | Suitable for ages 11+
