Arts Diary: A mouth-watering selection of dance; Philip Key meets an artistic director at the very top of the dance tree.

Byline: Philip Key 

ARK BALDWIN was a happy man. 'I'm very lucky to be working in an art form where audiences have been growing 9% a year - and that's a conservative estimate,' he reckons.

The art form is contemporary dance and Baldwin sits at the top of the dance tree as artistic director of the country's longest established modern dance group, the Rambert Dance Company.

He would love to bring his company to Liverpool but, funded largely by the Arts Council, has to agree to its touring directions.

As usual, the company is visiting Mold's Clwyd Theatr Cymru on this tour, accessible to Liverpool dance fans but not exactly central.

It is quite a mouth-watering selection of dances, one of which, Swamp, was recently given an Olivier Award as best new dance work of the year. 'It opens to an aggressive song by Wire and morphs into a beautiful landscape of sound by original Wire member Bruce Gilbert,' says Baldwin.

Four couples in ritualised dance build to a grand finale. 'It is an exquisite piece of dancing,' says Baldwin, who has been at the helm of the company for two years.

A choreographer himself, he allows others to provide most of the dance works. 'And I do like to use British choreographers.'

While not all are British-born, they are at least British-based.

Rafael Bonachela is 'of Spanish origin but has spent all his working life in Britain'.

His work, Irony of Fate, features Amy Hollingsworth dancing to the music of a solo violin. She recently won the Dancer of the Year title from the Critics' Circle.

'It's a very demanding solo which stretches her body to the limit,' says Baldwin. Both she and the violinist are dressed by fashion designer Robert Carrey Williams, design fashion today being very much part of the Rambert style.

Bonachela is, incidentally, the choreographer for Kylie Minogue on her videos and tours. 'I'm not jealous, I am very humble,' Baldwin laughs.

There is also a recreation of 1926 ballet, A Tragedy of Fashion, created for the company by Sir Frederick Ashton. 'All that remains of it are two photographs and it was never set down in dance notation.' So choreographer Ian Spink, using just the photographs, has used his imagination to bring the ballet to life. It is the story of a designer who finds his designs rejected and stabs himself to death with his scissors.

Also included in the touring show is Songs of a Wayfarer danced to Mahler songs. This, like most of the other works, has the music played live. Four pieces form a triple bill, a popular form for the company.

'I always consider it like a meal with a fabulous first course, wonderful main meal and a gorgeous pudding,' Baldwin explains

p RAMBERT Dance Company, Theatr Clwyd Cymru, Mold, March 9-12

CAPTION(S):

Swamp, which got an Olivier Award as best new dance work of the year