Now in their 22nd year, Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black returns to the Linbury Theatre this Autumn with an electrifying double bill of new work: Ballet Black: HEROES, from award-winning choreographers Mthuthuzeli November and Sophie Laplane.
Mthuthuzeli November contemplates the purpose of life in The Waiting Game, his exciting and energetic work about the meaning of life originally created in 2020, infused with a dynamic soundtrack featuring the voices of the Ballet Black artists. The Waiting Game was originally inspired by Samuel Beckett. It explores the absurdism of existence and the passing of time through movement and musical ideas. The uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring and how thoughts can change rapidly, confusing us.
Franco-British artist Sophie Laplane, Choreographer in Residence at Scottish Ballet, creates a new piece for Ballet Black, following her dazzling 2019 Ballet Black ballet, CLICK!. Laplane’s inspiration for this new work If At First, came from viewing Jean-Michel Basquiat’s painting, Eroica, or “heroic”, one of a series of paintings in which he visually explores the concept of heroism. If At First explores a more subtle heroism, a quieter triumph over adversity, in a struggle that unites us all. Humanity, heroism, and self-acceptance combine in this celebratory and original piece.
Founded in 2001 by Cassa Pancho MBE, Ballet Black is an award-winning company with a long-standing commitment to diversifying the ballet industry. Dancers of dancers of African, Caribbean and Asian descent perform a varied repertoire from some of the best emerging and established choreographers from around the world. Cassa Pancho has personally commissioned over 65 new works, actively supporting female choreographers from early stages of their careers, as well as identifying new and providing existing choreographic talent with an exceptional group of dancers and a platform to match.
