A truly awesome display with expansive passion and artistry
A gorgeous double bill of new work ushered in the 30th anniversary of the Festival Theatre this week. Ballet Black graced the stage with two exceptional and vastly different pieces If At First and The Waiting Game in its new show, HEROES. This small but mighty company of nine showcased the best of dance for the modern age without skimping on technical prowess.
If At First, presented in co-commission with the Barbican, was a brilliant display of artistry, musicality and passion. The piece, choreographed by Sophie Laplane, served as a refreshing, chaotic and stunning foray into an extensive engagement with power, heroism, community and isolation. Inspired originally by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s painting, Erocia, the piece moved between gorgeous partner and solo work peppered with simply wonderful company numbers. Showcasing every company member’s abilities throughout the piece while also maintaining an entrancing thematic through line was no simple feat. The transitional, upbeat motifs provided contrast and narrative movement while serving to energetically reunite the company frequently and provide visual intrigue.
The intentionality of this piece was wondrous and thought provoking. Use of the prop crowns and its connection to power and intention in each section was visually lovely and engaging. Seeing the active effect of pursuit or possession of the crown on the piece was a brilliant use of physical theatre that connected the audience with the piece and grounded the narrative into something tangible. The musical score further intensified the experience of understanding the pursuit of power and its isolation in juxtaposition to power achieved through community. Culminating in the gorgeous and utterly human section performed to I’ll Be Your Woman, this piece as a whole is not one to miss. Its perfection will be hard to forget.
The Waiting Game by Mthuthuzeli November was a delightful and harrowing second act. In a complete thematic shift, this piece was not for the faint of heart in the most delightful way possible. The intention of engaging with the absurdity of existence was expertly achieved through this whirlwind fusion of dance styles and movement. The most self-aware piece of dance and physical theatre likely currently on stage, it captured the dizzying and exhausting throes of existence. With an intense score peppered with the voices of Ballet Black, the piece was an extrasensory experience that verged on psychological thriller.
A true collaborative work from start to finish, Ballet Black imbued every movement with evident care and consideration in HEROES. It is a delight to see so many dancers brilliantly execute technical prowess with expansive passion and artistry. The power and beauty behind these pieces cannot be understated. Deserving of every accolade, I hope these pieces have long lives and are shared to many audiences inspiring generations new and old to engage with art as it was displayed here.