Black is the New Black

by Cassa Pancho

The first in a regular diary series - but I'll let Cassa explain...

How should I start? Well, and after dragging Bruce Marriott to Retox, plying him with alcohol and fluttering my eyelashes madly, I've managed to wangle some space on Ballet.co. God knows how long it will last, but before he wises up, I'd better fit in everything I can about the company I'm starting - Ballet Black...

I guess it is exactly as it sounds - a company for black ballet dancers. Being of mixed-race parentage (Mum’s a Brit, Dad’s from Trinidad) the issue of the lack of black people (women in particular) in ballet has always been a bit of a puzzle to me. I mean - where are they?

And that’s not a cue for violins for the poor, hard-done-by black people, or me "thumping a tub", but a genuine query. Is it merely a question of no interest? I think not. Perhaps the archetypal image of the ballerina is one that is just too hard to get past for some black dance students. Although I’m mixed race, I don’t look "black", but I am driven to distraction by stereotypical comments, such as:

• Black women have big bottoms,
• Black women have feet that are unsuitable for pointe work,
• Black people don’t want to do ballet,
• Black dancers in the corps de ballet are not aesthetically pleasing.

I find it hard to swallow that in this day and age these views are still tolerated by some, but there you go...

Until there is a platform for black ballet dancers equal to that of white, these generalising and downright racist views will continue. In 1968, Arthur Mitchell stated that in starting the Dance Theatre of Harlem, he intended to "disprove the myth that Negroes can’t do classical ballet." (1968 edition of Dance Magazine) And he has. Not just Mitchell of course - America seems to have the inside track on "black ballet" (have you seen Lauren Anderson?!) so what’s going on in Britain? Carol Straker, Corinne Bougaard and Sheron Wray have all done plenty, but when it comes to classical ballet, Britain still falls short of the U.S. Not that I think I’m going to swoop in and change all that (!) but I’d love to be someone who gives it a nudge in the right direction...

The Company
Auditions for Ballet Black are in October at the Royal Academy of Dance, (where we will also be having the majority of our rehearsals) and ideally, I’m looking for between six and ten dancers, from vocational schools (male and female) to make up the company. There is a performance scheduled, to take place at the Academy in the spring, (but this is subject to change!) and I plan to show four short pieces, two choreographed by myself, one by the gorgeous Chris Hampson, and the fourth is still to be confirmed.

There is also an Education Unit under construction, designed to take ballet into schools, where we will do simple ballet and choreographic workshops, and let kids see that ballet isn’t merely an elitist art form, but something that can be appreciated by all (oh dear - I sound like Pollyanna, but you get the picture). This is similar in a way to the Royal Ballet’s "Chance to Dance" scheme, but we want to actually collaborate with state schools, rather than dance being a separate thing to education. Also, having spoken to the parents of black kids, I’ve been told several times that the term "Royal" and all the connotations that go with it can put some people off before they’ve even begun. By going through state schools, we hope to eliminate this issue.

Santa’s Little Helpers...
I have the most amazing people in the world as part of the Ballet Black team. David Plater from the Donmar Warehouse on lighting, Denzil Bailey, ex ENB dancer; audition teacher and maybe choreographer, Yukiko Tsukamoto (Central St. Martins graduate) and Michelle Bolwell (RAD graduate); costume design and construction, Uncle Jonathan (as in Jonathan Still - very famous on these pages, I know); Musical Adviser, and top man, Venetia Fowell; Assistant/best mate, Vanessa Fernandes; aka Foxy; Company Administrator and Victoria Mansfield, Education Coordinator and just lovely (all the V’s are fellow RAD graduates as well) and its all going well - considering that I've only choreographed one commissioned piece ever in the world (but plenty of free stuff!). Oh, and we have no dancers yet. Or money. But aside from that..

That’s everything for the moment - there will be a lot more to report once the auditions have taken place.