Ballet Black #BBonFilm initiative, presents a series of acclaimed ballets from their unique repertoire online and via its social media platforms as well as online classes taught by Ballet Black dancers. Black on Film is available on the company’s Youtube Channel. It is just one year short of Ballet Black’s 20th anniversary.
(Image credit: The Ballet Black Company: L-R standing: Marie Astrid Mence, José Alves, Ebony Thomas, Cassa Pancho, Sayaka Ichikawa & Cira Robinson. L-R seated: Alexander Fadayiro, Mthuthuzeli November & Isabela Coracy. Photo Holly McGlynn)
Founded in 2001, Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black is an award-winning, neo-classical ballet company, dedicated to diversifying classical ballet. The company is made up of eight international dancers of black and Asian descent.
Cassa Pancho, Artistic Director, said, “Like many of our dancing friends across the globe, we have been working to find ways to share our passion for ballet with our audience. We have created #BBonFilm to help us continue to connect with our followers and friends during this time, and, in the coming weeks, will be sharing some of our original repertoire, created especially for us by some very exciting choreographers. We will initially present three performances and will look at extending this in the coming weeks. Teaching is at the heart of what we do, so in addition to performances, we will be offering free online classes taught by members of the Company, and will be re-opening our BB Junior School online. We would like to thank everyone involved for generously allowing us to share their work and everyone who has volunteered their time to make these classes possible.”
The first performance which is available now is abstract piece House of Dreams (15-minute quartet, now featured online) by celebrated British choreographer Michael Corder, whose glittering versions of Cinderella and The Snow Queen have been seen across Europe. House of Dreams is a sparkling quartet exploring themes of love and loss set to the delicate music of Claude Debussy with costume designs from Ballet Black’s long-term collaborator, Yukiko Tsukamoto.
Performances are live from around 10am on the day of the event.
This will be followed by Captured (20-minute quartet – 26th April 2020 – available for 7 days). A four-hander by Martin Lawrance characterised by intricate detail and propulsive energy; Captured ebbs and flows to the fiery emotion of Lawrance’s edgy choreography, set to a Shostakovich string quartet.
Completing the initial programme will be Ingoma (co-commissioned by the Barbican, London, full 35-minute ballet featuring the whole company – 3rd May – available for 7 days). Ingoma (song) by company dancer and choreographer Mthuthuzeli November, who has received nominations from the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (Best Emerging Artist) and the Olivier Awards (Best New Dance Production). Ingoma is a fusion of ballet, African dance and singing. Ingoma portrays a milestone in South African history and imagines the struggles of black South African miners and their families in 1946 – when 60,000 of them took courageous strike action, and is inspired by Song of the Pick, a painting by South African artist, Gerard Sekoto (1913-1993), and the poem, Blue Head (2018) written specially for this ballet by Asisipho Ndlovu Malunga.
Ballet Black intend to add more shows so come back here for more info.
Where: Online
When: Until 21 June 20
Price: £NA
More about Ballet Black click here.
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