A brilliant double bill by Ballet Black as they make their Sadler’s Wells debut.Rating
Excellent!
SHADOWS marks Ballet Black’s Sadler’s Wells debut. Led by their founder and artistic director, Cassa Pancho, Ballet Black performs a double bill featuring work by two choreographers.
A Shadow Work, choreographed by Chanel DaSilva, looks at shadow work, a practice undertaken in therapy, based on personal experiences by DaSilva. It is a technique based on Carl Jung’s classification of the shadow self, and it works on unifying our conscious and subconscious selves.
The piece is abstract by nature, exploring the mind and allowing the audience to interpret each moment; it feels deeply personal and incredibly thought-provoking.
The ensemble is excellent, and not only are they moving as one, but they also hold a shared intensity and intention behind their eyes, which makes everything they do electrifying. They are wonderfully led by Taraja Hudson, and there are beautiful moments of connection in her pas de deux with Acaoã de Castro. There are also some lovely moments of expressive and fluid port de bras that really catch the eye.
The lighting design of the piece is intense and impressive, segmenting the stage with blocks of light framing the dancers from all directions, and, of course, some silhouette work, casting shadows on the back wall.
The second piece of this double bill is Pancho’s adaptation of Oyinkan Braithwaite’s best-selling novel My Sister, The Serial Killer. The source material is already excellent, a gripping thriller with gloriously dark comedic tones, and the adaptation by Pancho is spot on. It follows Korede (Isabela Coracy), whose sister Ayoola (Helga Paris Morales) calls upon her in times of need to help clean up the crime scenes after she has murdered her boyfriends. Building on the moment of nightmare from the original novel, Pancho uses that as the main hook and recurring image, bathing the stage in red light.
Great care has also been taken to expand on the unseen motives behind the character’s actions, namely the why and the how of the murders, setting clear turning points in the narrative and exploring multiple methods of taking out the men.
The choreography is intricate, and the storytelling from the whole company is strong. Coracy, a previous Olivier Award winner, shows her prowess here, commanding the stage as the eldest sister. She is perfectly complemented by Morales, the two forming a great partnership.
Ballet Black has arrived at Sadler’s Wells, and let’s hope this wonderful debut is not the last we see of the stellar company on that stage. Shadows is a carefully curated double bill that explores both the abstract and formal narrative structure, taking the audience on a journey to the dark side.
Founder & Artistic Director: Cassa Pancho MBE
Lighting Design: David Plater
A Shadow Work
Choreography & Direction: Chanel DaSilva
Original Score: Cristina Spinei
Costume Design: Natalie Pryce
Assistant Choreographer: Jamal Callender
Rehearsal Director: Charlotte Broom
My Sister, The Serial Killer
Choreography, Direction & Adaptation: Cassa Pancho
Associate Choreographer: Jacob Wye
Original Score: Tom Harrold
Costume Design: Jessica Cabassa
Set Design: Richard Bolton
SHADOWS plays at Sadler’s Wells until Saturday 29 November
