Barbican Theatre, London
May 15, 2024
Ballet Black’s double bill, Heroes, features a premiere from Sophie Laplane and a revised version of The Waiting Game from Mthuthuzeli November. The company with nearly half newly appointed members has nonetheless managed to shape up into a similarly enthusiastic and committed cohort who live up to its reputation for delivering a show with punch.
Laplane whose Click was such a delight, returns with a new creation, If At First, that explores heroism, a noble quality and worthy of investigation. However, it proves a slippery concept to explore in movement. The cast use the symbol of a crown to focus the action, but this basically sidesteps the noble pursuit and becomes a show of greedy hands grasping at power. So, best to ignore the programme notes and just open yourself to the action which moves at a lively pace.
Photo ASH
The heart of the ballet comes in a sensitive duet danced by Love Kotiya and Helga Parts-Morales. Kotiya gains control of the crown plus the unease and uncertainty that comes with possession, while his partner seems to gently waste away in his arms.
Some of Laplane’s best choreography, warm and rhythmic comes in the closing duet from Taraja Hudson and Parts-Morales. In this final scene each wears a crown in a relationship that is nuanced but a tad feisty. Isabela Coracy is a dominant presence from the opening in a circle of mirrored discs to a fierce solo where after holding the stage, the lighting focuses down to gradually diminish her square of light.
Newcomers, Acaoă de Castro and Bhungane Mehlomakulu also have their moments of crown-grabbing possession adding drama and touches of comedy. A brief unison sequence of three couples brings order to the somewhat chaotic battle scenes and more of this would have been most welcome.
If At First left me plagued by the feeling that there was a more exciting ballet waiting to break out if only it could bypass the need to be heroic!
in The Waiting Game by Mthuthuzeli November
Photo ASH
I was fortunate to see one of the few live performances of November’s earlier version of The Waiting Game and enjoyed it immensely. It Is good to see it back on stage now with a new jazzy score from Alex Wilson and Ebony Thomas moving up to the leading role of The Man.
November tackles those annoying life questions. Why are we here? Is life just a repetition of the same thing every day? Thomas, one of the older members of the company and always a strong performer, gives a thoughtful interpretation of exceptional maturity holding centre stage with good support from Coracy. The semi-transparent door with a wheelie frame plays a central role and the ballet is a show within a show complete with a very glitzy finale. The versatile dancers do the voiceovers as well as the dance and drama and prove their range of talents.
It is a well-paced work with plenty of lively dance for the company. November neatly juggles the heavy philosophy noting the absurdity in light-hearted theatrical episodes. However, the ballet manages to punch well above its weight with perceptive insights that stay with you well after curtain down.