BALLET BLACK to return to Sadler’s Wells in October

Sadler’s Wells

Cassa Pancho's Ballet Black returns to Sadler's Wells this Autumn with a landmark double bill to commemorate its 25th anniversary, Ballet Black at 25. The run from 14 - 17 October continues their anniversary tour, celebrating a quarter of a century of innovation, mentoring and collaboration, while looking ahead to the future.

 The bill features the Olivier Award-winning Ingoma (2019), which marked the choreographic debut for former Company dancer, Mthuthuzeli November. Inspired by the 1946 South African miners’ strike, a precursor to the anti-apartheid movement, Ingoma captures the suffering and resilience of Black miners and their communities, bringing rarely told stories to the ballet stage. The work won both the 2020 Olivier Award and the Black British Theatre Award for Best Dance Production. 

 Alongside it, Alvin Ailey alumni Hope Boykin makes her UK choreographic debut with ...all towards hope, a new commission for the company. The work is a celebratory piece created especially for Ballet Black's 25th year, both a tribute to the company's history and a look towards its future.

 Artistic Director Cassa Pancho OBE founded Ballet Black in 2001. Since its inception, Ballet Black has been a prolific commissioner of new and critically acclaimed ballets. Cassa Pancho has personally commissioned over 70 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. Ballet Black now firmly stands on its own right as an exceptional dance company.

 Cassa Pancho, Founder and Artistic Director of Ballet Black said: “In our latest bill, you will see something great from our past; the Black British Theatre and Olivier Award winning, Ingoma, created by Mthuthuzeli November in 2019, and something equally great but very different, ...all towards hope. from Alvin Ailey royalty, Hope Boykin, which looks towards our future. 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 again and again.”

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