The Birmingham Rep – Wednesday 4th May 2023
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
5*****
Ballet Black’s vibrant diversity has been breathing beauty into ballet since 2001. Performed in two acts, Ballet Black: Pioneers comprises of Will Tucketts, Then or Now, a majestic merging of dance, poetry and music, and Mthuthuzeli November’s By Whatever Means, a heartfelt homage to Nina Simone. This performance blew me away. Its powerful, raw and emotive. The movement, music and message leave every sinew tingling, surprising the senses with its celebration of self, of women, and of worth.
Simple sets, 9 dancers, Taraja Hudson, Mthuthuzeli November, Rosanna Lindsey, Ebony Thomas, Isabela Corancy, José Alves, Sayaka Ichikawa, Alaxander Fadayiro and Helga Paris-Morales, traversed the stage to create a night of absolute magic. Breaking down barriers and conveying meta messages of belonging and home.
In act one, we have the poetry of Adrienne Rich, poet, feminist and activist against the oppression of women. Thought-provoking blends of history and crucial themes of black lives today are engagingly echoed through words and choreography. Raw and honest, weaving wonder into Rich’s verse, the dancing is sophisticated and sublime. Subtle movements, urgent and passionate solos, duets, and group ballets, this act closed to rapturous applause and a desire for more.
Act two takes us into poignant moments in the musician, singer and human rights activist Nina Simone’s life. This builds in momentum, from a slow start as a child, into fame, onto a tumultuous relationship, facing and defying racism, fighting for black rights and all this done with the backdrop of the rapturous music of Simone and her spoken voice. Moving and dynamic, it stirs a multitude of emotions, joy, anger, sadness and culminated in a blazing and frenzied finale which resulted in the whole theatre giving a richly deserved standing ovation. I will never be able to hear the amazing “Sinnerman”, again without recalling the struggles felt by this wonderous woman and the incredible performance given by this talented company .