Ballet Black: Triple Bill 2016.

Ballet Black: Triple Bill 2016

Thu 6th - Sat 8th Oct 2016

About

Ballet Black, a company for international dancers has collaborated with three bold and inventive choreographers to present this critically acclaimed triple bill.

At the centerpiece is Christopher Hampson’s Storyville: set in 1920s New Orleans we follow Nola, a young farm girl who falls prey to unscrupulous characters and secret desires, set to the haunting music of Kurt Weill.

The programme also includes two newly devised pieces, Christopher Marney’s To Begin, Begin, fresh from McQueen, and a duet Cristaux by recent Olivier Award Winner Arthur Pita, who previously choreographed a hit version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Ballet Black’s eight-strong ensemble.

British-Trinidadian Artistic Director Cassa Pancho has attracted a loyal following for her classically trained troupe, reinvigorating ballet with energy and imagination as well as making world class original new work.

Following a sold out run at the Barbican, this show is not to be missed!

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Creative team & Dancers

Cassa Pancho MBE: Founder & Artistic Director
Of Trinidadian and British parents, Cassa trained at the Royal Academy of Dance, gaining a degree in classical ballet from Durham University. Upon graduating in 2001, she founded Ballet Black in order to provide role models to young, aspiring black and Asian dancers. A year later, she opened the Ballet Black Junior School in Shepherd’s Bush and in 2004, began the BB Associate Programme, which currently has over four hundred members. Cassa is also a graduate of the 2009 National Theatre cultural leadership programme, Step Change. Since starting the Company, she has commissioned work from a wide array of choreographers, including Liam Scarlett, Richard Alston, Javier de Frutos, Christopher Marney, Martin Lawrance, Shobana Jeyasingh, Henri Oguike, Christopher Hampson,
Arthur Pita and Will Tuckett. Ballet Black won both the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Company in 2009 and Best Independent Company in 2012. Cassa was awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Year Honours List for Services to Classical Ballet and has served as a judge on the panel of the Kenneth MacMillan Choreographic competition. In 2015, Cassa became a Patron of Central School of Ballet.

Cira Robinson: Senior Artist
Cira was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she began dancing at the age of eight. After graduating
from the Performing Arts School in 2004, she moved to New York to dance full-time with the
Dance Theater of Harlem. During her three years there, she performed at the White House for
the President of the United States, as well as the Protégé Festival. In 2008, Cira travelled to the
United Kingdom for the first time to join Ballet Black. In the summer that year, she danced with
Ballet Identity in Los Angeles, before returning to Ballet Black in November. Since 2008, she has
danced in Ballet Black commissions by Martin Lawrance, Richard Alston, Henri Oguike, Liam
Scarlett and Robert Binet to name a few. She created the role of one of the Furies in Will
Tuckett’s Orpheus (2011) and the lead role of Nola in Ballet Black’s production of Storyville,
choreographed for BB by Christopher Hampson in 2012. In 2013 she was featured in War Letters
(Christopher Marney) and received her rst nomination for Outstanding Classical dancer at the
Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards in 2014. She also created the role of Titania in Arthur
Pita’s Ballet Black production of A Dream Within a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Biff in the BB
family production of Dogs Don’t Do Ballet and The Serpent in Second Coming (choreographed byMark Bruce). Cira also teaches regularly at the Ballet Black Junior School.

Damien Johnson: Senior Artist
Damien was born in Dallas, Texas and received his training from Etgen-Atkinson School of
Ballet and the Booker T. Washington School of the Arts. He then studied on a full scholarship at
the School of American Ballet. In 2002, Damien joined the American Repertory Ballet and then
the Dance Theater of Harlem Ensemble in 2003. He first joined Ballet Black in 2005 before
moving to Los Angeles Ballet in 2008. Damien returned to Ballet Black in 2009. As the longest
serving member of Ballet Black, Damien has been featured in many Company works by
choreographers that include Irek Mukhamedov, Liam Scarlett, Richard Alston and Javier de
Frutos, and created the title role of Orpheus in Will Tuckett’s 2011 production for Ballet Black.
He created the roles of The Lover in Christopher Hampson’s Storyville (2012), The Soldier in
Christopher Marney’s War Letters in 2013, Oberon in Arthur Pita’s Ballet Black production of A
Dream Within a Midsummer Night’s Dream (2014) and The Ruler in Second Coming (Mark Bruce in
2015). Damien is also a sought-after teacher and is Ballet Master for the Ballet Black Company
and Associate Programme.

Sayaka Ichikawa: Senior Artist
Sayaka was born in Chiba, Japan, where she began dancing at the age of two. She trained in New
York and in 2003 moved to London to study at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary
Dance. Sayaka graduated in 2006 with a First Class BA (Hons) degree. Since graduating, she has
performed with Vienna Festival Ballet and Ballet Theatre UK as a Principal Dancer in Coppélia,
Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake and in 2009 performed Le Corsaire with American
Ballet Theatre at the London Coliseum. Sayaka performed in Ross McKim’s Moving Visions
Dance Theatre at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and York Minster. She has also danced for
English National Opera and Opera North in their production of Madam Butterfly. Sayaka
appeared in the musical The King and I and in the film, StreetDance: the Movie. She has also been a
Guest Principal Dancer and Guest Teacher for Ballet Riviera in Switzerland since 2008. Sayaka
was a member of the Ballet Black Associate Programme for several years before becoming a
Senior Artist with Ballet Black in 2011. Since joining the Company, Sayaka has been a featured
dancer in ballets by Jonathan Watkins, Henri Oguike, Martin Lawrance and Christopher Marney.
In 2014 she created the role of Helena in Arthur Pita’s production of A Dream Within a
Midsummer Night’s Dream. After a year off to have her first child, Sayaka returned to Ballet Black
for the 2015/16 season.

Jacob Wye: Senior Artist
Jacob began dancing with The Royal Ballet’s Chance to Dance project at the age of eight. He
continued his training at The Royal Ballet School’s Junior Associates and was then accepted into
The Royal Ballet Lower School where he stayed for five years before joining the Central School
of Ballet in 2009. In his final year at Central, he toured around England and travelled to
Amsterdam to perform works from various choreographers including Christopher Gable,
Sharon Watson and Michaela Polly. In 2012, he received the Classical Ballet Award from Central
and danced at multiple venues for the London 2012 Olympics including a solo at the Wembley
Arena, choreographed by Sara Matthews and Leanne King. Jacob joined Ballet Black as an
Apprentice in September 2012 and was promoted to Junior Artist in 2013. He has danced in
choreography created by Robert Binet, Javier de Frutos, Kit Holder and Martin Lawrance and
created the role of Lysander in Ballet Black’s production of A Dream Within a Midsummer Night’s
Dream, choreographed by Arthur Pita. In 2015 he created the role of The Maiden’s Husband in
Mark Bruce’s Second Coming. Jacob was promoted to Senior Artist at the start of the 2015/16
season.

Isabela Coracy: Senior Artist
Isabela was born in Brazil and began her vocational training at the Centre for Dance in Rio. She
has taken part in many festivals and competitions, including the Joinville Festival and Youth
America Grand Prix. As a professional, Isabela has danced with Deborah Colker Dance, Sao
Paulo Dance Company, CIA Youth Ballet of Rio de Janeiro and has toured Russia extensively.
She has danced in many classics: Don Quixote, Raymonda, Swan Lake and Serenade, as well as
modern works, Gnawa (Nacho Duato) and The Double (Mauricio de Oliveira). In 2009, Isabela
was featured in the documentary, Only When I Dance, directed by Beaide Finzi. Isabela joined
Ballet Black as a Junior Artist in 2013 and has since danced in works by Christopher Marney,
Javier de Frutos and Martin Lawrance. In 2014, Isabela created the role of Puck in A Dream
Within a Midsummer Night’s Dream by Arthur Pita. In 2015, she was promoted to Senior Artist and
created the role of The Maiden in Mark Bruce’s production of Second Coming.

Mthuthuzeli November: Junior Artist
Mthuthu was born in Cape Town, South Africa and started dancing at the age of 15 with the
outreach programme, Dance For All. In 2011 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Cape
Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA). After receiving the Best Student of the Year for 2013 and
2014, he graduated with a Distinction in 2014. Mthuthu won a gold medal in the Contemporary
category in the South Africa International Ballet Competition in 2012 as a Junior, and again in
2014 as a Senior. He has worked with Cape Dance Company under the direction of Debbie
Turner, and with choreographers including Bradley Shelver, Christopher Huggins, Joshua
Beamish and Belinda Nusser. More recently he danced in the musical West Side Story. In 2015 he
travelled to the UK to perform with Central School of Ballet’s third year touring company, Ballet
Central, performing all over the country. Mthuthu is also a keen choreographer and recently won
an award for his piece, Calligraphy. He joined BB as First Year Apprentice in September 2015
and was promoted to Junior Artist in September 2016.

Marie-Astrid Mence: Junior Artist
José Alves: Senior Artist

Ballet Black: Triple Bill 2016

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