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Ballet Black at 25

Double Bill: Ingoma & …all towards hope
Thu 12 Nov 2026 at 7:30PM
Theatre Royal, Nottingham
Main Auditorium
Tickets
Thu 12 Nov 2026
7:30PM
Tickets

  • Show times are subject to change and published where available. 

Tickets £20.50 to £46.50

Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black celebrates its 25th Anniversary with a much-anticipated return to the Theatre Royal.

For twenty-five years, Cassa Pancho's Ballet Black has brought bold new ballet to stages across the UK, creating and sharing original stories with dancers from around the world. This anniversary season celebrates a quarter of a century of innovation, mentoring and collaboration, while looking ahead to the future.

This landmark double bill features Ingoma (2019), the choreographic debut of former Company dancer, Mthuthuzeli November. Inspired by the 1946 South African miners’ strike, a precursor to the anti-apartheid movement, Ingoma captures the suffering and resilience of Black miners and their communities, bringing rarely told stories to the ballet stage. The work won both the 2020 Olivier Award and the Black British Theatre Award for Best Dance Production.

INGOMA (2019)

Co-commissioned by the Barbican in 2019 | 2020 Laurence Olivier Award winner & The Black British Theatre Award winner for Best New Dance Production

Choreography | Mthuthuzeli November
Lighting Design | David Plater
Costume Design | Yann Seabra
Original Score | Peter Johnson & Mthuthuzeli November

Music | Ingoma (2019)
Prayer & additional music: Mthuthuzeli November
Singers: The Ballet Black Company

Cast | Megan Chiu, Isabela Coracy, Acaoa de Castro, Taraja Hudson, Love Kotiya, Bhungane Mehlomakhulu, Helga Paris-Morales, Mikayla Issacs, Ebony Thomas, Ruby Runham & Elijah Peterkin.

About Ingoma
Inspired by Gerard Sekoto’s painting, Song of the Pick (1947) Ingoma depicts the African mine workers’ strike in Marikana 2012, where police opened fire killing 34 miners. The shooting was described as a massacre, comparable to the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, when thousands of people gathered to protest pass laws, which were being used to severely limit the movements of black South Africans when outside of their designated areas under Apartheid.

When creating this work, I knew I didn’t want it to solely be about the miners. I wanted to talk about the effect the strikes had on the women and children losing their husbands, fathers, brothers and sisters. It became clear to me that I wanted to talk about struggle, death, loss and hope. I think Ingoma for me is a work about resilience, courage and will to carry on after the dust settles. We hold on to our loved ones, and we continue as community.

Mthuthuzeli November, 2026

Alongside it comes …all towards hope. A joyful new commission from Alvin Ailey royalty Hope Boykin, a two-time Bessie Award winner, making her UK choreographic debut. Boykin, who says “I make work and create environments from personal and lived experiences,” creates a celebratory piece especially for Ballet Black’s 25th year, a vibrant tribute to the company’s journey and a bold look towards its future.

Audiences can expect Ballet Black’s signature blend of powerful storytelling, striking choreography and rich global influences, in a programme that honours the past while celebrating the future. For 25 years, Ballet Black has transformed the landscape of British ballet, creating vital opportunities for dancers and artists of Black and Asian descent, while building a repertoire that resonates with audiences around the world. 

…all towards hope. (2026)

Created with support from the John Ellerman Foundation - Additional support generously provided by Royal Ballet & Opera

Choreographer | Hope Boykin
Assistant to the Choreographer | Akua Noni Parker
Lighting Design | David Plater
Costume Design | Jessica Cabassa
Music |Original Composition by Bill Laurance
Cast | Megan Chiu, Isabela Coracy, Acaoa de Castro, Taraja Hudson, Mikayla Isaacs, Love Kotiya, Bhungane Mehlomakhulu, Helga Paris-Morales, Ebony Thomas, Ruby Runham & Elijah Peterkin.

Age Guidance: 7+. Theatrical confrontation and simulated death 

Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult aged 18+

Running time: Act 1: 7.30pm - 8.05pm, 20 minute interval, Act 2: 8.25pm - 9.00pm. Doors: 6.30pm

This performance contains haze

Late comer policy: Entry is only permitted at the time mark 12 minute in Act 1. After 
this point, entry will not be allowed until the interval. 

Save Money

Under 26s
All tickets £25 in the Stalls & Upper Circle only. To purchase these tickets you must be 25 or under at the time of booking. You may be asked to show your ID on doors to confirm your age.

Groups 10+
Stalls & Upper Circle tickets priced at £42.50 & £38 are reduced to £34. Please email our groups@trch.co.uk or call 0115 989 5555 to book. 

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‘Returning to London with their double bill, Pioneers, Ballet Black continue to enhance their reputation as Britain's most diverse and daring ballet company.’
Broadway World, March 2023
‘Ballet Black, a success story against the odds with a charismatic tenacious woman at its head, has earned a long, successful life. A small-scale company filling the Barbican stage—with no sets (the dancers’ personalities and the lighting do most of the heavy lifting)—is remarkable.’
British Theatre Guide, March 2022
‘As the saying goes, “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.” Well, where ballet audiences… remain almost invariably overwhelmingly white, this company’s, as Friday proved, are quite the opposite. “What’s the point of Ballet Black?” That is.’
The Telegraph, March 2022
‘I can safely say that Ballet Black has utterly changed my preconception that ballet’s are ‘a little boring’- I would see one again in a heartbeat.’
A Young(ish) Perspective, April 2024
‘The great thing about Ballet Black is that the company is always memorable, whatever it performs, and the dancers are great.’
Gramilano, May 2024
‘Returning to London with their double bill, Pioneers, Ballet Black continue to enhance their reputation as Britain's most diverse and daring ballet company.’
Broadway World, March 2023
‘Ballet Black, a success story against the odds with a charismatic tenacious woman at its head, has earned a long, successful life. A small-scale company filling the Barbican stage—with no sets (the dancers’ personalities and the lighting do most of the heavy lifting)—is remarkable.’
British Theatre Guide, March 2022
‘As the saying goes, “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.” Well, where ballet audiences… remain almost invariably overwhelmingly white, this company’s, as Friday proved, are quite the opposite. “What’s the point of Ballet Black?” That is.’
The Telegraph, March 2022
‘I can safely say that Ballet Black has utterly changed my preconception that ballet’s are ‘a little boring’- I would see one again in a heartbeat.’
A Young(ish) Perspective, April 2024
‘The great thing about Ballet Black is that the company is always memorable, whatever it performs, and the dancers are great.’
Gramilano, May 2024

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