Say It Loud

Say It Loud (by Cassa Pancho MBE) In 2001, I choreographed one of the first pieces in the Ballet Black
repertoire. I did it because back then, I really wanted to choreograph. I 
thought one of my main roles as founder of BB would be to make dozens
 of ballets for my company. I quickly realised that maintaining a ballet company, even a small one, meant I didn’t have much time to think about
making work: the fundraising, management, programming, marketing 
and teaching took every ounce of my energy. I moved very happily into
 programming other choreographers to make work for BB, assisting, editing 
and rehearsing for them and we built a brilliant repertoire. At the time of
writing this note we have over fifty ballets created by thirty-seven different choreographers. So, why have I come out of choreographic retirement
twenty years on? Because I needed to be the one to mark this milestone
in our history: no one knows the story of BB like I do. I really didn’t think
 we would make it beyond five years, so twenty years feels like a lovely
 miracle. This piece is the story of Ballet Black: it’s not a beginning, middle
and end type of story but a look at the past and present, divided into seven 
chapters. The choreography was devised by the dancers and me, and you 
truly won’t find a more versatile, creative, and generous group of artists
 anywhere – you won’t! What I discovered about myself during this process is
that it turns out I have all the traits of the most challenging choreographers: changing the music, doubting myself and being the last one to turn in my programme note.