BLACK Ballet present a double bill of The Suit and A Dream Within A Midsummer Night’s Dream at York Theatre Royal tomorrow.
Led by artistic director Cassa Pancho, Ballet Black celebrate dancers of black and Asian descent, showcasing technique, precision and grace in specially commissioned pieces.
Based on South African writer Can Themba’s novella of the same name, The Suit is a narrative piece, choreographed by Cathy Marston to music by Philip Feeney, with designs by Jane Heather.
Black Ballet in A Dream Within A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Themba's short story was first published in 1963 in the inaugural issue of The Classic, a South African literary journal founded by Nat Nakasa and Nadine Gordimer. On publication, the story was banned by the apartheid regime; post-apartheid, in 2016, it was adapted into a short film, The Suit ,written and directed by Jarryd Coetsee.
The double bill’s second narrative ballet, A Dream Within A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is directed and choreographed by award-winning dance maker Arthur Pita, whose other ballets include Showboat and The Metamorphosis. Jean-Marc Puissant provides the design.
Black Ballet's Jose Alvez and Cira Robinson in The Suit
Induced by Puck’s many charming vices and led into the seductive and mind-altering forest, Oberon, Titania and the lovers are enticed into unexpected frolics and enchantments. Even further, they drift into a phantasmagorical dream within a dream where passionate intuition and perhaps true love flourish.
Tickets for tomorrow's 7.30pm performance are on sale on 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here