Choreographer

Now in its 24th year, Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black makes its Sadler’s Wells debut with an exciting new double bill, including Pancho’s darkly comic adaptation of Oyinkan Braithwaite’s international bestselling novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer.

Ballet Black SHADOWS

Sadler's Wells Theatre

2025 sees the return of Cassa Pancho's acclaimed Ballet Black - a company that has transformed the landscape of British ballet, creating a prominent platform for dancers and artists of Black and Asian descent, as well as establishing a new canon of ballet repertoire that resonates with audiences around the world.

Ballet Black will perform a double bill of work by leading choreographers. Award-winning choreographer, Chanel DaSilva explores what it means to be human in her new work which focuses on using the power of the arts to inspire change, in the dance world and beyond. Franco-British artist, and Choreographer in Residence at Scottish Ballet, Sophie Laplane explores triumph over adversity in If At First, inspired by the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Ballet Black: Double Bill

The Grange at Northington

When Korede gets a distress call from her sister Ayoola, she knows what to do: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel, and a strong stomach. It’s the third boyfriend Ayoola has killed in 'self-defense,' and the third mess Korede has to clean up. She should probably go to the police, but family comes first. Things change, though, when Ayoola starts dating the doctor Korede has loved for years. Korede can’t let him be the next victim - but saving him might mean betraying her sister...

Ballet Black: SHADOWS

Hackney Empire

Spring Celebration provides a visual feast for the eyes with powerful and emotionally charged works. The world premiere of T A B E R N A C L E by Chanel DaSilva takes the audience on a journey through layered emotions and concepts, paying homage to the many facets and complexities of Black Culture. In Furtherance, Kirven Douthit-Boyd created a work that portrays overcoming a personal struggle from anguish to bliss. DBDT veteran dancer McKinley Willis choreographs her first mainstage work for the company. SMILE is a ballet filled with whim and wonder, suspense, and unpredictability.

EPSG:4326

Spring Celebration Series

Wyly Theatre

Creator and opera revolutionary Davóne Tines brings Langston Hughes’ poem “The Black Clown” to musical life in a vaudevillian rendering of this masterpiece. Fusing gospel, opera, jazz, and spirituals into a searing night of theatrical brilliance, The Black Clown embodies the evolving, divided soul of Black America and animates a Black man’s resilience against a legacy of oppression. The Black Clown has been hailed as “pure poetry” by The Boston Globe, and The New York Times lauds “this rich, seamless production melds the past and present of African-American history into an electrifyingly ambivalent whole.” Tines makes his Opera Philadelphia debut alongside an ensemble of 12 performers in this genre-bending, visually arresting piece, juxtaposing dazzling cathartic performances with Hughes’ enduring work.

Choreographer

Chanel DaSilva

Events

Upcoming events

14 - 17 May, 2026

The Black Clown · Opera Philadelphia

Past events

26 - 29 Nov, 2025

Ballet Black SHADOWS · Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Jul 3, 2025

Ballet Black: Double Bill · The Grange Festival

About

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