Behind the little Advent door Number 6 on the todays “Nikolaus Day” you can find Mr. Paul Kaynes. He is the Chief Executive of the Cardiff based company NDC Wales. NDKD is working together with him and the company for five years now and the relationship became very close after our first meeting during the Tanzmesse NRW in 2016. NDKD and NDC Wales work quite similar and so it made sense to join forces.

NDKD: What does DANCE mean to you?

Paul Kaynes (PK): The arts can make us think, highlight new ideas, make us laugh, and move us. Some artforms ask that we have some prior knowledge or language – this is especially true of theatre. But dance works primarily through emotion. Dance can be powerful in the way it makes me feel things that I didn’t expect. For this reason, it’s a very democratic artform – it can speak to anyone who is open to feeling and connects people beyond the limitations of language. In addition, I’m dazzled when I watch brilliant dancers (I was never a dancer myself). Appreciating virtuosity and ability are a huge part of the enjoyment I derive from dance.

NDKD: What is your connection to the Norddeutsche Konzertdirektion?

PK: I first met Franziska at Tanzmesse in Dusseldorf in 2016 when she had seen the Company’s work, and since then National Dance Company Wales has been a regular visitor to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I often join the Company at least for part of our tours, connecting with Franziska, Katharina and the team, and talking about future plans. It’s a pleasure to work with the team at Norddeutsche Konzertdirektion – they feel like colleagues and associates of the Company rather than just business partners.

NDKD: Why did you become a Chief Executive?

PK: I started working in marketing and communications in the arts because I am passionate about ensuring that new people experience the power of the arts. I’d been exposed to the arts throughout my childhood, but I knew that not everyone was as lucky, and so I started working for festivals and a theatre in the northeast of England, seeking out new audiences. Later, being on the board of trustees for Motionhouse, a dance company based in the Midlands, I realized I was as fascinated by the business of dance as I was by the artform.

NDKD: What role does music play in connection with dance for you and why?

PK: For me, dance and music are the most emotionally powerful of all the arts. They both move me – whether watching a symphony orchestra, or a favorite singer or band, music can have a visceral effect. Dance has the same impact. So, when they come together, they can be a powerful duo. Working in tandem, complementing each other and raising the emotional bar of the other. I’ve often discovered new music through watching dance, and now those pieces are often playing in my car on a long drive, or in my headphones on a long run!

NDKD: How and where are you spending Christmas this year?

PK: I shall be spending Christmas with my mother, sisters, and their families in Hampshire, in southern England. The whole family will gather at one of my sisters’ houses for Christmas dinner. Even though I’m not hosting this year (we rotate around my siblings’ houses), I shall still cook some of the food we will share, and I will create a family quiz (a very British pastime!). Shortly after Christmas I shall be going to the province of Almería in southeast Spain over New Year and witness the Spanish Epiphany celebrations on January 6th.