National Dance Company Wales provide half time entertainment at France v Wales

National Dance Company Wales (NDCWales) will entertain a crowd of 80,000 people at the Stade de France on Saturday 18 March, when Wales take on France in the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship.

NDCWales will perform at half time in the stadium as part of the Welsh Government’s Wales in France year 2023.

National Dance Company Wales will perform a short extract from ‘Say Something’, the Company’s latest dance work by choreographers Sarah Golding & Yukiko Masui (SAY), to live beatboxing by Dean Yhnell (Beat Technique) from Tredegar.

‘Say Something’ celebrates the joy of movement and explores the ever-growing expectation to have a voice. This new work features on National Dance Company Wales’ forthcoming tour, PULSE |PWLS, premiering in Bangor on 23 March.

Paul Kaynes, Chief Executive, NDCWales said: “This is a brilliant opportunity to share our love of dance and convey the sheer energy of contemporary Wales with a huge crowd in Paris. We first met beatboxer Dean Yhnell in Penrhys in Rhondda Cynon Taf, where he’s one of the lead artists for the collaborative project we facilitate called Above & Beyond. Whether it’s in Penrhys or Paris, we want to share a vision of Wales as a culturally connected nation, eager to entertain and inspire people.”

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “I’m delighted National Dance Company Wales is helping us to launch Wales in France year, which will explore connections between our two countries across the arts, education, sport and business. NDCWales is showcasing a contemporary, diverse and artistically excellent Wales to the world. I’d like to thank our partners Wales Arts International, Arts Council Wales and the British Council in Wales and France who have worked with us to support this activity.”