Diversions Dance Company were a much-respected ensemble for two decades. Two years ago they became National Dance Company Wales, based in Cardiff. On their second visit to our area they showed again what a talented group of dancers they are. But how much you enjoy their programme rests not only on the dancers’ ability, but also on the works they are asked to perform. At Wycombe, early disappointment was followed by half an hour of delight.

Romance Inverse (pictured) by Tel Aviv-born Itzik Galili, is set first of all to a long sequence by Steve Reich. Many choreographers have been inspired by Reich’s work, but rather than match its insistent, repetitive flow, they have created something that contrasts with it. Galili, on the other hand, has tried to match it in dance terms, resulting in a long, minimalist and unimaginative first half. Five square black screens are moved here and there to create “complex moving paths” for the five girls. What they actually do is irritate the eye and obscure a lot of the dancing by their rather wobbly perambulations. They are manipulated, more or less unseen, by the company’s five male dancers. What a waste to use them as stage hands! Things brighten up when the screens are reversed, and, golly-gosh! they’re white now! It’s the turn of the boys, as we break into the powerful rhythms of a new score featuring marimbas and percussion by Percossa, before the conclusion, with the whole company in an exciting, screen-less finale.

By Singing Light is the work of the US choreographer Stephen Petronio, and it’s terrific! Petronio blends his individual dance style with music by Son Lux based on poems by Dylan Thomas, together with an arrangement of Welsh folk songs, softly heard in the background. Dance, music and beautiful, simple costume design come together in a delightful piece.