Theatre Review: Ballet Black

Photograph: Nottingham Playhouse

“Ballet Black…aims to bring ballet to a more culturally diverse audience by celebrating black and Asian dancers in ballet…. Our ultimate goal is to see a fundamental change in the number of black and Asian dancers in mainstream ballet companies, making that vision wonderfully unnecessary.”

That’s the manifesto, so how was the dancing? Well, the evening was divided into a triptych of pieces, all equally dazzling. 

In Cristaux a male and female dancer perform to a tinkling percussive score. The costumes sparkle with Swarovski glass. The whole routine is mesmerising, enchanting and soothing. 

To Begin, Begin sees the full troupe of nine dancers on stage for the first time. A woman walks under a wave of floating blue silk, seeking her soul mate. She encounters not only her love but other relationships. The music is sweeping and fluid. The dance suggests that life is transient and fleeting.

The pièce de résistance is Storyville. This is largest segment and has a compelling narrative. Nola is a poor black girl in New Orleans, caught up in the machinations of Lulu White. Lulu was a real life figure known for running Mahogany Hall, a dance club and good place to pick up prostitutes. Lulu’s lover, Mack, is better known as Mack the Knife. Inevitably, Nola is drawn into Lulu’s world, tricked, exploited and dumped when of no further use. Can she survive poverty and drink? Will her sailor boyfriend save her?   

This final piece is excellent, with nods to Kurt Weill. The story takes inspiration from the generations of black Americans who went to New Orleans seeking success only to find ruin. Indeed, the name Nola is an acronym for New Orleans, Louisiana. The choreography is spot on, with the strength, agility and precision of all performers never less than breathtaking. And look out for two figures in skull masks, Mr and Mrs Death. Very voodoo and surprisingly scary.    

Some radical black activists might say why bother with ballet? It’s a white manperson’s art form. A decaying European tradition. Better to rip it up and start something new and wholly black. But one theatregoer said at halftime “Ballet Black are reinventing ballet, renewing it. I find it refreshing to see ballet from a black perspective”. So there.

Ballet Black is an exciting development in the world of ballet. Music to heal our battered souls while at the same time pushing boundaries. More like this, please! 

The Nottingham Playhouse presented The Black Ballet Featuring Storyville on  Wednesday 22 June 2016.

Nottingham Playhouse website
Ian Douglas' website