This October we are delighted to bring you RAFT, a brand new dance theatre production from critically acclaimed Welsh choreographer Gwyn Emberton.
Although only 3 years old, Emberton’s company, Gwyn Emberton Dance, has been called a ‘standard-setter for Welsh dance,’ by Wales Arts Review, and has performed over 50 times in 9 different countries. Gwyn also won Best Male Dancer and Best Male Choreographer at the Wales Theatre Awards in 2016.
Emberton’s work sits within the dance-theatre realm of contemporary dance, in that it draws heavily on the emotional journey the dancers go through as they move through the piece. His work is both very physical and dynamic.
Exploring themes that are very relevant in today’s world, RAFT views the story of five people, each with a different heritage and background. In a world far away from home, in a land they do not recognise, and set against a backdrop of questionable politics, the question about who they are is turned on its head.
Inspired by summer 2015 when the refugee crisis in Europe peaked, and images in the media became increasingly worrying and heart-breaking, yet the language used remained dehumanising and spiteful, RAFT uses these seemingly inoffensive words to challenge what would happen if it was us or our families who were the strangers. The ones who have little chance to go home, and even less again to move on to somewhere new.
There is a post-performance talk following this show which will allow you, our audience, the opportunity to debate this very important subject matter. The show is sure to spark a debate about how we talk about and perceive others, perhaps offering a different perspective to how we see refugees and asylum seekers, and migration in general.
‘Mesmerising and mercurial” ASIW
Here is what Gwyn has to say about RAFT:
‘This new work really sees us move more into dealing with more complex, challenging, thought-provoking subjects by extending the physical boundaries of the incredible cast of international dancers.
I am at a turning point in my work and really creating an identity for it. Perhaps it is resolutely a Welsh style?’
Appearing in RAFT will be Antony Daly Luna who trained at the London Contemporary Dance School; Sophia Preidel who has worked with Gwyn Emberton Dance since 2015; Matteo Marfoglia who has danced for National Dance Company Wales and was recently recognised as a future leader in British dance by OneDanceUK; freelance dancer Maya Gomez who has been touring her own pieces around Europe; and Hampus Bergenheim, graduate of Dance Performance at the School of Dance and Circus in Stockholm.
Thursday 5 October, 7.30pm. Book your tickets by calling 01874 611622 or visiting http://bit.ly/GEDRaft
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