National Dance Company Wales announces bold new commissions, performances, and creative programmes

National Dance Company Wales (NDCWales) has announced it's 2026 season of activity which will see the company deliver a packed programme of new creations, touring, artist development, and community engagement across Wales.

NDCWales also marks a new chapter in its leadership. Bakani Pick-Up joined the company in September as Artistic Director (& Joint CEO), followed by the appointment of five new Trustees – Ceri Ulyatt, Gentiana Roarson, Hefin Archer-Williams, Eluned Owen, and Jamie Jenkins – who bring a wealth of expertise, lived experience, and fresh perspectives to help shape the company’s future.Most recently, Amanda Roberts was announced as the companies incoming permanent Executive Director (& Joint CEO), joining Bakani to lead NDCWales into an ambitious new chapter.

“This is a moment of renewal and ambition for NDCWales,” said Artistic Director (& Joint CEO), Bakani Pick-Up. “We’re entering a new chapter full of energy, connection, and belief in what’s possible when creativity is shared. At our heart is a collective of powerful, versatile dancers, supported by an outstanding team and new faces joining us on this journey. The season ahead reflects who we are – bold, innovative, and rooted in the belief that dance belongs to everyone. It’s an exciting time to share what’s next.”

Following sell out performances of its recent Wales and England autumn tour programme, Surge | Gwefr will continue to tour in 2026, travelling to Germany in February. Surge | Gwefr showcases the full power and versatility of the company, featuring three dynamic pieces, Infinity Duet – a collaboration between choreographer Faye Tan and visual artist Cecile Johnson Soliz; audience favourite Waltz by Marcos Morau, and Mabon by former NDCWales Artistic Associate Osian Meilir.

Moving into 2026, NDCWales is delighted to announce an ambitious new season of new work, commissions, and creative development opportunities that will see the company continue to champion dance and creativity across Wales and beyond.

4 Works, 10 Minutes, Infinite Possibilities

NDCWales announces the return of 4x10 starting this November, the Company’s platform for experimentation and collaboration, originally created for its 40th anniversary. The participating choreographers for this next edition of 4x10 are Ed Myhill, NDCWales Company dancer and choreographer; Dr Kate Lawrence, pioneering dance artist and Artistic Director of Vertical Dance Kate Lawrence; Colette Sadler, Scottish dancer, choreographer, and multi-disciplinary artist and Bakani Pick-Up, Artistic Director of NDCWales, each creating a ten-minute work for performances at the Dance House, Cardiff Bay, from 11 to 13 March 2026. Audiences will also enjoy a new curtain-raiser, performed by NDCWales’ Young Associates and choreographed by Professional Placement Student, Maisie Gregory. 

Investing in Creative Futures

Since April 2025, NDCWales has provided more than 350 hours of in-kind studio space and 100 free hours of free rehearsal space for artists at its Cardiff Bay home, the Dance House. It has also enabled more than 580 hours of space hired by creatives, community groups and local organisations. The Dance House continues to be a centre for artistic excellence, a hub for creative development, and a much-loved space for all the community.

NDCWales will also launch Creative Associates in 2026 – a new two-year development programme for creative practitioners. Building on the success of the company’s former Artistic Associates scheme, this refreshed initiative expands opportunities to a wider range of creative practitioners, reflecting the many disciplines that shape dance and performance today. An open call for the first cohort will be announced in early 2026. 

Continuing to Grow and Connect

The company’s commitment to nurturing artists and communities remains central to its mission. Through programmes such as Standby Studios, in-kind support, and new research commissions, the company will continue to provide creative practitioners across Wales with even more opportunities to create, experiment, and grow through the 2026/27 season.

NDCWales’s flagship programmes such as Dance for Parkinson’s in Cardiff and Bangor and Above & Beyond in Penrhys continue to thrive, using dance to strengthen communities and support wellbeing. In 2026 this work will continue and expand with NDCWales re-opening it’s Wrexham hub for Dance for Parkinson’s. For this season, the Company has also welcomed two new placement students from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and launched the new Elevate pathway programme, created in response to the overwhelming demand for places on the annual Young Associates scheme, to support more young people on their journey into contemporary dance. 

New Works, New Voices

NDCWales will be investing in two celebrated choreographic voices that will form part of the next double-bill show on tour across Wales, UK and beyond in Autumn 2026.

Theo Clinkard will re-stage Ordinary Courage the acclaimed work that launched his company in 2012, reimagined for a new generation of NDCWales dancers. Drawing on the experience of his mother's death, Ordinary Courage is a rousing and eloquent work that examines the nature of loss and the capacity for movement and touch to communicate when the ground gives way beneath your feet. Blending raw emotion with striking physicality, the work unfolds to Scarlatti sonatas beneath an evocative light installation by renowned designer Zerlina Hughes. 

Theo Clinkard said: “I’m thrilled to be working with NDCWales to restage my most personal work, Ordinary Courage. It’s a privilege to revisit and reimagine the piece that launched my choreographic career with such a versatile and expressive company under Bakani’s leadership.”

NDCWales is delighted to welcome award-winning multidisciplinary performance artist and creator Alesandra Seutin to create a brand-new work for the company. Alesandra is known for her bold fusion of contemporary and African dance languages, bringing a distinctive new voice to NDCWales’s repertoire. She has gained international recognition for creating thought-provoking work that fuses movement, voice, and music to tell stories inspired by social, political, and cultural realities.

“Bold, daring, and curious dancers are at the heart of bringing new choreographic ideas to life,” said Alesandra. “I’m excited to be creating a new work for NDCWales in 2026 as part of their autumn tour, and to collaborate with a company that embraces creativity, risk, and connection.”

Details about our Autumn 2026 Tour will be announced in due course.