Award winning dance company, Ballet Black, present a Triple Bill of bold and
inventive choreography at Millfield Theatre.
Ballet Black has announced the launch of its 2016/2017 season at the Barbican
Centre, London from 2nd-4th March 2017, including a new ballet by Annabelle
Lopez Ochoa (co-commissioned by the Barbican and dramaturgy by Patricia
Doyle), who turns a popular fairy tale on its head as she gives Red Riding Hood a
surprising twist!
Celebrated British choreographer Michael Corder, whose glittering versions
of Cinderella and The Snow Queen have been seen across Europe, creates an abstract
piece, House of Dreams: a sparkling new 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.
And a four-hander characterised by intricate detail and propulsive energy, Captured
ebbs and flows to the fiery emotion of Martin Lawrance’s edgy choreography, set to
a Shostakovich string quartet.
Artistic Director Cassa Pancho commissions bold choreography once more,
blending the classical and contemporary, narrative and abstract, for her ballet
company comprising international dancers of black and Asian descent. The company
aims to bring ballet to a more culturally diverse audience by celebrating the talent of
dancers from around the world.
Cassa Pancho, Founder and Artistic Director, said: “We are delighted to tour our
new programme around the UK and internationally.
We are excited to be once again showcasing some of the world’s best choreographic
talent and are very happy to be working again this year with Martin Lawrance, as
well as our first collaboration with South Bank Sky Arts Award-winner Annabelle
Lopez Ochoa and celebrated British choreographer Michael Corder.”
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. The entirely original repertoire
covers a broad spectrum of ballet, from classical work to highly contemporary pieces.
Since 2001, they have built a varied repertoire from the best emerging and established
choreographers, including Liam Scarlett, Shobana Jeyasingh, Martin Lawrance,
Richard Alston, Christopher Hampson, Christopher Marney and Javier De Frutos.
Ballet Black has achieved great success and garnered numerous awards, including the
2012 Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Best Independent Company, and a
further nomination for 2014.
Dancers: Jose Alves - Senior Artist, Isabela Coracy - Senior Artist, Sayaka
Ichikawa - Senior Artist, Damien Johnson – Senior Artist, Marie Astrid Mence –
Junior Artist, Mthuthuzeli November - Junior Artist, Cira Robinson - Senior
Artist, Jacob Wye - Senior Artist
Angular, fast and exacting choreography builds a rich sense of narrative
possibility from the couples’ edgy encounters, framed by the stabbing violins of
Shostakovich’s string quartet No 11. - Siobhan Murphy, Londondance.com, March 2017
There are so many shining ways in which Ballet Black have made themselves a
model of diversity. It’s not just their policy of giving a home to black and Asian
dancers, nor the following they’ve built over the last 16 years – a vivid rebuttal
to the idea that ballet appeals only to a white, middle-aged, middle-class
audience. Equally significant is the joyously unpredictable repertory they dance,
commissioned not only from young classical choreographers but modern dancemakers
experimenting with ballet. - Judith Mackrell, The Guardian, March 2017
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Little Red Riding Hood, a funny, gutsy spin on the
traditional fairytale that’s clearly a riot to dance. - Judith Mackrell, The Guardian, March
2017
Corder has a magical touch in weaving meaningful movement onto this dreamy
music, evoking poetic, impressionist imagery to complement Debussy’s
shimmering sounds…- Graham Watts, BachTrack, March 2017
This eclectic triple bill draws inspiration from Debussy and Shostakovich before
concluding with a funny, gutsy spin on a fairytale - Judith Mackrell, The Guardian, March
2017
Company on a mission dazzle with seductive twist on a fairy tale- Lindsey Winship, Evening Standard, March 2017
juicy, irreverent and thrillingly dynamic- Siobhan Murphy (on Red Riding Hood),
Londondance.com, March 2017
crisp lifts, supple and elegant entwining of body shapes- Tim Hochstrasser (on House of
Dreams), Plays to See, March 2017
The eight Ballet Black dancers are some of Britain’s hardest workers and this
programme shows them at their best: accomplished, versatile and great
communicators-Maggie Foyer, SeeingDance, March 2017
The piece has a vibrant atmosphere, dynamic choreography, deliciously
entertaining music, standout performances and a sense of dark fun. - Debra Craine
(on Red Riding Hood), The Times, March 2017