Ballet Black – Ingoma

The critically acclaimed Ballet Black strive to honour the traditions of classical ballet while breaking new ground with cutting-edge choreography. Now an essential part of the classical ballet landscape, the company is the perfect showcase for dancers of black and Asian descent, providing them with a platform on which to perform and practise their craft. Unsurprisingly, Ballet Black attracts dancers, choreographers and designers from around the world.

Ingoma (meaning song) is a specially commissioned piece by Company dancer and choreographer Mthuthuzeli November, which imagines the struggles of black South African miners in 1946 – the same year in which 60,000 of them took courageous strike action. Through a fusion of ballet, African dance and singing, the performance portrays a milestone moment in the country’s history. It’s followed by a light-hearted narrative ballet by renowned choreographer Luca Silvestrini ? another original work for the mesmerising ensemble whose dancers are of black and Asian descent.