Ballet Black celebrates 25 years
- Robert Beale
- 5 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Ballet Black founder and artistic director Cassa Pancho brings Ballet Black at 25 to Salford’s Lowry on April 14, direct from its premiere at the Linbury Theatre in London.
Salford is the first stop on a UK 25th anniversary tour that also visits Leeds Playhouse (May 8), and an anniversary celebration by way of a double-bill of a landmark work from the company’s repertoire and a new specially-created commission.
Ingoma, from 2019, was the choreographic debut of former company dancer Mthuthuzeli November, several of whose works have featured in recent visits to the north. Inspired by the 1946 South African miners’ strike (a precursor of the anti-apartheid movement), Ingoma captures the suffering and resilience of Black miners and their communities. It won both the 2020 Olivier award and the Black British Theatre award for best dance production.
Alongside it comes a new work ...all towards hope, from Hope Boykin, a two-time Bessie award winner, making her UK choreographic debut. It’s a celebratory piece for Ballet Black’s 25th year, described as “a vibrant tribute to the company’s journey and a bold look towards its future”.
Since its founding in 2001, Ballet Black has championed artists of Black and Asian descent and has a long history of performing at the Royal Opera House, beginning in 2005 with its first season at the Linbury Studio Theatre.
Cassa Pancho says: “In our latest bill, you will see something great from our past and something equally great but very different. This diversity of repertoire is what I consider to be one of the strengths of BB: no two ballets are alike, whether the subject is serial killers, African ancestry or the state of the world today. I hope we will always put on a show that makes you think, feel and want to return.”
More info and tickets here
