Sunday, 3 November
BBC Four and BBC Two Wales at 8pm
Dance Passion Swansea is a BBC Four programme that will air on BBC Four and BBC Two Wales on 3 November 2024, and will feature dancers from a variety of backgrounds performing in Swansea, Wales
From Mumbles Pier, Brangwyn Hall and the iconic Observatory Tower, to Swansea Bay and the dunes of the Gower peninsula, every kind of dance is performed – including ballet, breaking, ballroom, Latin, contemporary, and traditional Welsh clog dancing.
William Bracewell, a principal dancer at The Royal Ballet, returns to his childhood haunt, Oxwich Bay, to create a new work based on his specially written poem, Llythyr Adre / A Letter Home, while Ballet Cymru give Dance of the Knights from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet a uniquely Welsh take.
Following the Bafta Cymru winning documentary ‘Brothers in Dance: Anthony and Kel Matsena’, the Swansea based choreographers showcase their genre-busting work, including residents of the city, with hip-hop and contemporary dance.
Joe Powell-Main, describes himself as ‘a freelance dancer and choreographer on wheels and crutches’ following a life-changing accident which ended his training at the Royal Ballet School Lower School. He performs a solo piece incorporating Latin and ballroom with a twist aiming to inspire anyone who wants to dance.
Inspired by 19th century studio photographs, Black Victorians is a powerful and moving dance created by choreographer Jeanefer Jean-Charles, with music by DJ Wade. It explores a complex but forgotten black presence in pre-Windrush Britain.
The final dance in Dance Passion Swansea includes a recital of Dylan Thomas’ poignant Fern Hill, narrated by Cerys Matthews. The dance piece, devised by artistic directors of Ballet Cymru Darius James and Amy Doughty, features this most famous of Welsh poems, with an evocative performance which ends on the beach in Swansea.
Dance Passion Swansea is a co-commission between BBC Arts and BBC Wales, with the support of match-funding by Arts Council of Wales.