Ballet Black’s SHADOWS: A Bold, Stylish Double-Bill of Dance

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Eviction, and temporary homelessness, hasn’t stopped the redoubtable Ballet Black from producing a stylish, thought-provoking, and fun double-bill of new works in SHADOWS.

A Shadow Work: Dancing Through Darkness

Opening gambit, ‘A Shadow Work’ choreographed and directed by much-admired NYC ARTivist, Chanel DaSilva, takes the company into an abstract world of light and shadows devoid of set, barring the evocative conjurations of lighting designer David Plater – and a solitary box file.

It’s a landscape of the mind, through which a captivating Taraja Hudson journeys, in pursuit of self-acceptance. Our introduction to our heroine finds her movements alive with emotive motifs, from anxiety-riddled hand twitches, to the clasped hands of prayer. Nearby the box awaits, and it’s only a matter of time before she peeks inside, a Pandora setting free the shadows she has studiously packed away.

Embodied by the ensemble, dressed in black, they sweep forth to engage, challenge, and console her. Sometimes menacing, often playful, they swoop about her, forming and reforming like so many starlings. Guiding her through is the compassionate but implacable head shadow, played with cat-like grace by Acaoã De Castro.

There’s a clear progression in DaSilva’s choreography, with early staccato phrasing and movement, giving way to more fluid, graceful action. Hudson’s progress isn’t linear, nor is success inevitable. Set to Cristina Spinei’s synth-heavy, 80’s sci-fi meets Daft Punk score, the result is an interesting and often engrossing adventure.

That said, despite the deft blend of ballet and modern and an accessible story, ‘A Shadow Work’ is a tad overlong at 40 minutes. There just isn’t quite the narrative depth needed to sustain it.

My Sister, The Serial Killer: A Bold Dance-Noir Adaptation

Onwards then to Ballet Black’s own Cassa Pancho’s adaptation of Oyinkan Braithwaite’s best-selling thriller, My Sister, The Serial Killer. Such a move into the world of physical theatre has caught out other dance companies, but on the whole, it’s a hugely entertaining success.

Pancho draws on a dance palette of ballet, modern, and jazz to tell this comic-noir tale in fine style, set to Tom Harrold’s groovy score – augmented with blasts of Toots, The Maytals, and the immortal Fela Kútì.

At the centre of things, Isabela Coracy is captivating as the ‘responsible’ (ie non-psychotic) big sister, Korede, beset – quite literally – by the ghosts of her younger sister’s previous victims. Helga Paris Morales, as said sister, Ayoola, gives psycho femme fatale vibes wrapped in a striking yellow dress at all times. Pancho is less interested in the roots of her compulsive slaying of any and all boyfriends than in Korede’s escalating internal conflict. Conflict, which only mounts when she falls for dashing doctor Tade, played in style by Ebony Thomas, only to watch his eyes fall on her black widow sibling.

Final Thoughts: A Fresh, Stylish Double Bill

All in all, it’s a fun and entertaining watch, and if the ending is ultimately a little perfunctory, there are some cracking scenes along the way, not least a funky house party which evoked memories of A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham’s ‘An Untitled Love‘, which impressed the city back in 2022. Kudos are also due for the opening scene, which finds the sisters disposing of a previous victim with just enough practised practicality to let us know it’s not the first time.

All in all, SHADOWS is another fine offering from Ballet Black, who continue to be open to new ideas and fresh directions. It will be fascinating to see where this ‘story first’ approach may take them in future.

Featured Image: Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black inMy Sister, The Serial Killer,choreographed by Cassa Pancho. Dancer: Isabela Coracy & Ballet Black Company.Photography by ASH

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To learn more or book tickets for SHADOWS, visit balletblack.co.uk.

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