Celebrating their eighteenth year, there’s always excitement when Ballet Black take to the stage. Their popular programme contrasts dramatic and inventive storytelling in a lively showcase of modern ballets.

Led by Artistic Director Cassa Pancho, recent recipient of the Freedom of the City of London for her contribution to diversity in ballet, the company celebrates dancers of black and Asian descent.

Ingoma (Song), created by company dancer and choreographer Mthuthuzeli November is a fusion of ballet, African dance and singing. This premiere and Barbican co-commission portrays a milestone moment in South African history and imagines the struggles of black miners and their families in 1946, when 60,000 of them took courageous strike action.

Ballet Black reprise Martin Lawrance’s “wickedly intelligent” (The Guardian) Pendulum – an intimate duet which premiered in 2009 and the choreographer’s first work made for the company. An original, light-hearted work by Scottish Ballet’s choreographer-in-residence, Sophie Laplane, also a premiere, completes the Triple Bill.

Choreography: Mthuthuzeli November, Martin Lawrance, Sophie Laplane
Lighting design: David Plater
Designer: Yann Seabra, Peter Todd
Composer - Ingoma: Peter Johnson

Please note that this programme replaces the previously announced Double Bill that featured a piece by Luca Silvestrini.