National Dance Company Wales brings powerful double bill Blue | Glas to stages across Wales and England
Audience favourite Ordinary Courage returns alongside a brand-new work from Olivier Award-nominated choreographer Alesandra Seutin
National Dance Company Wales is taking audiences on an emotional and energetic journey this autumn with Blue | Glas, a powerful new double bill bringing together two very different works that explore grief, connection, courage and the human desire to move forward.
The tour opens at Malvern Theatres on 11 September, before travelling across Wales and England, including a stop at Sherman Theatre in Cardiff, as well as London, Hereford, Newtown, Mold, Tewkesbury, Bangor, Bournemouth and Aberystwyth.
The programme brings back Theo Clinkard’s much-loved Ordinary Courage, originally created in 2012, alongside the world premiere of Untamed, a new commission from Olivier Award-nominated choreographer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Alesandra Seutin.
For NDCWales Artistic Director Bakani Pick Up, the two works may tell very different stories, but share themes that can connect with audiences whether they are regular dancegoers or experiencing contemporary dance for the first time.
“My first curated season for the company is a programme of two very different stories with shared themes we think will resonate with audiences.”
Pick Up describes Ordinary Courage as a “sincere, brave and emotional journey”, while highlighting Seutin’s Untamed as an exhilarating work that brings together personal stories through spirited, high-energy movement.
A powerful reflection on grief and connection
Ordinary Courage is one of Theo Clinkard’s most personal works, drawing on his own experience of losing his mother.
Rather than focusing solely on grief, the piece explores the power of human connection and the ways in which our bodies and the people around us can help us through difficult moments. Its movement moves between poignant and uplifting, creating a performance that is both emotional and cathartic.
The work features simple block-colour costumes, natural lighting and a haunting score by Alan Stones, incorporating music by Scarlatti and Bach performed by pianist Cliodna Shanahan.
For Clinkard, bringing the work back to the stage is an opportunity to revisit a piece that remains deeply personal.
“It’s a work that uses the body to talk about our attempts to navigate the uneven terrain of grief, the human need for connection and the potential for joy.”
He adds that performance creates a unique opportunity for audiences to experience those emotions collectively, describing the experience of revisiting the work with NDCWales’ dancers as both “thrilling and moving”.
Running towards something new
Alongside Ordinary Courage, Blue | Glas introduces audiences to Untamed, a brand-new work commissioned by National Dance Company Wales and created by Alesandra Seutin.
Inspired by the athleticism of runners and the mental challenges that come with a race, Untamed uses running as a metaphor for life, exploring our instinct to escape the things that hold us back while also running towards something new.
The piece celebrates the courage it takes to become who we are meant to be, combining commanding and athletic contemporary dance with striking costumes and lighting inspired by stadium running.
The soundtrack brings another distinctly Welsh element to the production. Composer Randolph Matthews has collaborated with Welsh harpist and vocalist Sam Frankie Fox, working with local singers and Welsh learners to incorporate traditional Welsh instruments, ancestral voices and ethereal vocals into the score.
The result is an energetic and immersive work designed to leave audiences breathless.
Seutin describes Untamed as a story of struggle, resilience and rebirth, inspired by the physicality of running and the internal battles we all experience.
“They stumble, they rise and remember, through fire. Through sweat.”
At its heart, Untamed is about discovering what remains when everything that seeks to control or tame us is stripped away, ultimately leading towards the possibility of a new beginning.
A double bill exploring what it means to be human
Together, Ordinary Courage and Untamed offer two very different approaches to storytelling through movement.
One looks at grief, loss and the healing power of connection. The other explores resilience, freedom and the instinct to keep moving forward. Both demonstrate the ability of contemporary dance to communicate emotions and experiences that can sometimes be difficult to put into words.
As Bakani Pick Up puts it, both choreographers create work that speaks “to people’s hearts”, whether audiences are familiar with contemporary dance or seeing it for the first time.
Blue | Glas opens at Malvern Theatres on 11 September 2026 before touring to venues across Wales and England, with its final performance taking place at Aberystwyth Arts Centre in November.
Blue | Glas Tour
📍 Malvern Theatres
📅 11 September
📍 Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
📍 Sadler’s Wells East, London
📍 The Courtyard, Hereford
📍 Hafren, Newtown
📍 Theatr Clwyd, Mold
📍 The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury
📍 Pontio, Bangor
📍 Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth
📍 Aberystwyth Arts Centre
📅 November
For full tour dates and ticket information, visit ndcwales.co.uk.
