Premiering from 5 - 8 July, Future Now marks the culmination of our BA dance students’ three-year preparation for entering the profession as contemporary dance artists. Tickets for Future Now 2023 can be purchased here.
Every year, we connect with and commission three artists known for their distinctive voice and artistic flair that sets them apart to create new work with and for our students.
This year's guest choreographers are Rhiannon Faith, Ben Wright, and Vidya Patel, who are all passionate about helping to develop the next generation of dancers.
Here’s a little bit more about them.
“Choreographer Rhiannon Faith is one of the few UK artists making dance theatre that is pointedly socially conscious”
Lyndsey Winship, The Guardian
After establishing her own company, Rhiannon Faith has been nominated for an AWA Women In Dance Leadership Award 2022, a unique award set up by a charity that recognises and celebrates women in the dance sector for their outstanding leadership practice. In addition to this award, Rhiannon Faith Company (RFC) has been nominated for four other National Dance Awards, including; ‘Best Independent Company’ 2021, 2022 & 2023, ‘Best Digital Choreography’ (DROWNTOWN LOCKDOWN) in 2021 and ‘Best Dance Film’ (DROWNTOWN live film) in 2022.
Rhiannon Faith’s choreography can be seen from the comfort of your living room across Channel 4 and online, to the live atmosphere of a theatre.
Rhiannon Faith Company worked with Bryony Kimmings on the Channel 4 documentary, ‘The Sex Clinic: Artist in Residence’, and during lockdown, she also worked with Film Director, Adam Sheldon (Big Egg Films), on the film Drowntown Lockdown that tackles themes such as loneliness, isolation and failed support systems.
Just as at home creating work for broadcast companies and behind the screen as she is creating work for theatre and live performances, RFC’s new work, Lay Down Your Burdens, will premiere at the Barbican in November 2023 before touring nationally in 2024.
As a socially-conscious artist, Rhiannon Faith aims create work inspired by communities who find themselves on the margins. RFC is based at Harlow Playhouse, where Rhiannon Faith has been Associate Artist since 2018. RFC works closely with Harlow Playhouse to embed high quality art into local communities, helping to improve health and wellbeing.
From dancing and choreographing, to acting and puppeteering, Ben is well-versed in all things performance, and has toured the USA with Sinner for Stan Wont Dance. Throughout his career, he has mentored and taught younger dance artists and performers, and he now works as a Lecturer in Dance at NSCD.
Ben believes that dance can serve as a way to offer deeper insight and a deeper understanding of the human experience. Ben is always looking for innovative ways to capture the imaginations of a live audience, and he has choreographed performances for Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Ricochet, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Richard Alston and Amanda Miller’s Company: Pretty Ugly.
Committed to making dance-theatre work both diverse and inclusive, in 2019, Ben choreographed and directed The Lost Thing for Candoco Dance Company, a unique collaboration with The Royal Opera House. The family-focused dance-theatre work was performed by a fully inclusive cast of disabled and non-disabled performers. Ben also created A space in the dark for Black Box Dance Theatre, Denmark that same year.
In 2021, Ben worked as Artistic Direction Consultant for National Dance Company Wales and between 2017 – 2020, he was Artistic co-director for Candoco Dance Company. He was the Associate Artistic Director and Resident choreographer for Skånes Dansteater from 2014 – 2017. Also in 2021, Ben began working as an Intimacy coordinator on the film My Policeman by Amazon Studios and also on a new mini-series based on Nick Hornby’s novel Funny Girl for SKY Atlantic.
Prior to joining NSCD as a Lecturer in Dance, Ben has created work for Transitions Dance Company at Trinity Laban, Edge at The Place, VERVE at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Intoto at London Studio Centre, and Beverly Hills High School amongst others.
Vidya is a Birmingham-based movement artist, choreographer, performer and collaborator. Trained in Kathak from a young age, Vidya draws on influences and inspiration from a diverse range of artists within dance, music and visual arts. Her work focuses on autobiographical narratives drawing on themes of identity, belonging and empowerment.
In 2015, Vidya represented the South Asian Category in the Grand Finals of the inaugural BBC Young Dancer 2015 at Sadler’s Wells. Since then, she has paved a career in the dance industry and she is now one of four Sadler’s Wells Young Associate choreographer alumni 2020- 22. Her performances have also led to three Critic’s Circle National Dance Award nominations amongst others, and she worked as Creative Collaborator with LYNNEBEC company for the Athlete Welcome Ceremonies as part of the Commonwealth Games 2022.
Standing out in her early career, back in 2016, Vidya was invited to join the prestigious Richard Alston Dance Company as a guest artist. Vidya has performed in international touring works created by critically-acclaimed artists Sir Richard Alston, Gary Clarke, Thick & Tight, Hetain Patel, Sujata Banerjee, Akademi and Sampad Arts. She also performed in the late Pandit Ravi Shankar’s Sukanya with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2022, Vidya was a mentor for young choreographers as part of the Young Creatives programme by One Dance UK, and she has created work for third years at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, the CAT Programme at Trinity Laban, and for postgraduate dance company Emergence led by Salford University and Joss Arnott Dance.
