Tonight sees the premiere of an interesting collaboration between up and coming Welsh choreographer Jessie Brett and the Ethiopian artist Addisu Demissie at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff.
The pair have teamed up to create and perform in The World Behind Walls, a show that will see them embracing a range of contemporary and Ethiopian dance styles and utilising the architecture of each of the performance spaces of their chosen venues.
The show takes place outside Chapter for two nights before moving to Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon, where audience members will get to soak up the spectacle from on board a canal boat in the canal basin.
Composer Jered Sorkin has crafted an entirely new soundtrack for the work and each spectator will be provided with a headset to enjoy it by. The music will be interwoven with recorded sounds from Ethiopia, snippets of conversation and Ethiopian and contemporary styles of singing.
Jessie Brett and Addisu Demissie in The World Behind Walls. Photo: Briony Campbell
Jessie, originally from Hay on Wye, first met Addisu when the pair were working on a project for Valley and Vale Arts three years ago and Jessie danced in a piece choreographed by Addisu.
She later visited Ethiopia where Addisu is artistic director of Adugna Dance Company and the two began sharing creative ideas and came up with the concept for The World Behind Walls.
Jessie said: "The audience will be seated outside the venues looking in and wearing headphones with three-dimensional sound to really transport them into the world we are trying to convey.
"In Brecon the audience will sit on a canal boat which will add a really interesting dynamic to the show, although it does mean we have to limit the audience size.
"The performance will start behind the windows and they will see us through the panes until eventually we emerge and dance outside the building.
"The idea is that the exterior of each building will act as a set with a sense of uncertainty about where we might appear next."
Jessie invited Addisu to Wales to recreate their duet with support from Theatr Brycheiniog and funding from the Arts Council of Wales.
The piece blends her contemporary style with his more traditional style of Ethiopian dance, offering an intriguing mix between the two disciplines.
Jessie Brett and Addisu Demissie in rehearsal. Photo: Briony Campbell
Jessie added: "It's about the journey of two people who start out separately with no real knowledge of one another and it explores what happens as they meet and separate, becoming more curious about one another's worlds, the dynamics, differences and moments of easy connection they experience."
Based in Addis Ababa, Addisu was one of a group of Ethiopian children chosen to embark on a life-changing dance training programme at Middlesex University in 1996.
Now an experienced teacher and choreographer, Addisu spends much of his time working with young people in his home town with the hope of giving them the same chance that he has had. The full story of Adugna Dance is on their website, .
The World Behind Walls is at on 11 and 12 September at 8.45pm and on 18 and 19 September, again at 8.45pm.