Mario Bermudez Gil, Choreographer of Atalaÿ, part of National Dance Company Wales’s UK Terra Firm tour which opens at Sherman Cymru – 8 February to 13 May 2018
I am Mario Bermudez Gil a Spanish dancer and choreographer of Marcat Dance based in the South of Spain. I started to dance at the age of 20 and after 2 years in school in Seville I moved to New York where I got an offer dancing with Jennifer Muller and Gallim Dance. After 2 years there in New York I got offered a contract for the prestigious Batsheva Dance Company based in Tel Aviv where I danced for 4 years. In my last season in Israel I decided to start to create dance and choreography. After having such a strong love for choreography I decided to start and give it a chance in this field together with my partner Catherine Coury. It has been almost 2 years as a choreographer and I haven’t regreted my decision.
People will get a chance to see a powerful piece. People will feel they are going on a journey with the dancers. This will make the different in my field as a choreographer. I’d like for audiences to really connect to their soul They should come prepared to have fun and enjoy what the contemporary dance world can offer.
Is a pleasure of mine to be part of this evening and to be sharing my work Atalaÿ with such unbelievable artists like Caroline Finn and Marcos Morau, other winners of the Copenhagen International Choreography Award!
The Terra Firma Tour:
Fresh from winning two wards at the Wales Theatre Awards 2018, Ed Myhill as Best Male Dancer and Marcos Morau for Best Choreographer, the UK tour visits 16 towns and cities across England and Wales. It starts in Cardiff on 8 February and runs until 13 May 2018. The company will perform 10 dates in Wales (Cardiff, Newport, Newtown, Brecon, Clwyd, Swansea, Aberystwyth, Milford Haven, Shrewsbury and Bangor). As well as visiting venues throughout Wales and England, the company will perform in Germany and Austria.
The pieces include (please note: Terra Firma will be touring four pieces in total, with each venue staging three of the four pieces):
Folk by Caroline Finn
Folk is a twisted vintage fairy-tale under the boughs of an upside-down tree. They say ‘there’s nowt so queer as folk’ and in this quirky and surreal portrait of community life, Caroline’s grim characters paint a fantastical picture. The theatrical choreography, and dark humour are accompanied by a captivating soundtrack and rich, haunting designs. Folk was the first piece created by Finn for NDCWales which was a hugely successful showcase for the British Council at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival. Carole Finn was winner of Wales Theatre Awards Best Female Dace Artist 2016 for Folk.
The Green House by Caroline Finn
The Green House brings the outside in; on a verdant Wes-Anderson style TV set, the ‘stars’ are stuck in a never-ending loop. Beautifully unsettling and full of character. Caroline’s trademark darkly comic and quirky choreography asks the question: “if we do the same things over and over, how can we expect different results?”
Tundra by Marcos Morau
Tundra is a barren landscape where ultra-modern creativity blinks into life and tears pages from history books about Russian folk dance, the USSR and revolution. Marcos Morau’s bold style draws inspiration from art and cinema. Tundra takes old ideas and uses contemporary dance to give them renewed meaning. Tundra was first performed as part of NDCWales 2017 production – P.A.R.A.D.E., one of the flagship events in the Wales’ Russia ’17 programme which was staged in both Cardiff and Bangor.
Marcos Morau was winner of the Best Dance Choreographer for Tundra at the Wales Theatre Awards 2018
Atalaÿ (by me!) Mario Bermudez il
Atalaÿ is a watch tower from which far off lands can be seen from four points; a contagious dance influenced by the warmth of the Mediterranean. Mario Bermudez Gil draws on his Spanish roots and Israeli training and blends them with NDCWales’ quirky theatricality to make a piece full of character and incredible skill.
www.ndcwales.co.uk