A year after Bakani Pick-Up’s appointment as artistic director of National Dance Company Wales, his first season of programming launches with a touring double bill, Blue | Glas. He speaks here about Welsh creativity, cultural identity, breaking down barriers around dance and how movement can sometimes express more than words.
You’re stepping into one of the most influential roles in contemporary dance in Wales. Why did this feel like the right moment?
It’s an exciting time for the company and for dance generally. Organisations are asking what repertoire companies should look like today and how we reflect the contemporary world. NDCWales has always reshaped itself and taken creative risks. Our paths crossed at a point that felt right, and as an artist that makes it an ideal environment to work collaboratively.
What excites you about Wales creatively?
Wales has an abundance of creativity across music, opera, theatre and dance. I’m particularly fascinated by how different artforms come together and how Welsh multiculturalism exists within so much of the work being made, including through the Welsh language.
Being able to express my own Zimbabwean culture through my work is very special, so that intersection between cultural identity and art feels familiar and profound. We want young Welsh people to feel proud of where they come from, whether through our Young Associates programme, our work in Penrhys or our artistic collaborations.
What can audiences expect the Bakani Pick-Up era of NDCWales to look and feel like?
I’m drawn to artists who can articulate a feeling or experience that words can’t quite encapsulate – making the invisible visible. Our autumn tour, Blue | Glas, is a good indication. Theo Clinkard’s Ordinary Courage was originally created following the death of his mother and explores grief, loss, care and human connection. Although it was created 14 years ago, those themes remain incredibly present. We’ve also commissioned Alesandra Seutin, an influential voice in dance, to create Untamed. It takes the idea of running and asks: what are we running from, and what are we running towards – literally, socially and spiritually?
Contemporary dance can have a reputation for being inaccessible. How do you change that?
We’re constantly thinking about how to demystify it. We want people to have the confidence to experience dance in different ways, on and off stage. When I watch dance, I ask: “How did it make me feel?” Everyone can connect to that. Contemporary simply means “dance of the now”. At its best, it should leave you with something and offer another way of understanding universal experiences.
You’ve worked internationally. What has that taught you?
Working internationally has been a huge privilege, but I’m also an immigrant. What I’ve learnt about dance in the UK and internationally is very different from the world I grew up in, in Zimbabwe. I used to think dance was primarily a social activity. I’ve since learnt it can also be activism, wellbeing and philosophy. NDCWales has a long history of performing internationally and bringing international artists to Wales. We’re at our best when we listen, share and learn from what’s happening both locally and around the world.
How important is collaboration outside dance?
It’s essential. Contemporary dance is immersed in other artforms – costume, lighting, music, sculpture, fashion, electronic music, folk traditions and theatre. For Untamed, Alesandra and Randolph Matthews have collaborated with Welsh musician Sam Fox and local singers on a soundtrack rooted in the African diaspora while incorporating the Welsh language and the pibgorn, an ancient Welsh instrument. That exchange of cultures and disciplines is incredibly exciting.
How important is nurturing the next generation of Welsh dancers?
It’s a huge responsibility. One reason I wanted to work at NDCWales was because it doesn’t just think about now, but about the future. We want Welsh artists to be visible not only here but internationally. Through residencies, professional development, Young Associates and partnerships with organisations including National Youth Dance Wales and Ballet Cymru, we want young people across Wales to feel there is a route into dance.
If we spoke again in three years, what would tell you it was working?
Seeing more young people from diverse backgrounds joining our Young Associates programme would be one of the highlights. It would show that what we’re doing genuinely feels like it can be for anyone.
Finally, why should someone who has never seen NDCWales take a chance on Blue | Glas?
Because these works go where words can’t reach. Whether exploring loss or the urge to run, the dance speaks directly to the soul. You’ll see beautiful, powerful dance from extraordinary performers, hear incredible music and enter two visceral worlds through movement, lighting and costume. It offers something not just for the senses, but for the heart too.
Blue | Glas opens in Malvern on Fri 11 Sept, moves to Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre on Thurs 17 + Fri 18 then tours to London, Hereford, Newtown, Wolfsberg, Mold, Tewkesbury, Bangor and Bournemouth before closing in Aberystwyth on Wed 18 + Thurs 19 Nov.
Tickets: prices vary. Info: here
words ANTONIA LEVAY
