Suit of amore
Leading dance company Ballet Black are performing alongside Birmingham Royal Ballet in a triple bill in Birmingham this week. DIANE PARKES reports
of the dancers at Birmingham Royal Ballet and they are equally as excited as we are – it’s a new experience for both of us. We all know our companies really well but when you go out and work with other companies it makes you notice things and embrace the ways other people work and that’s good for all of us.”
Cira, who has also danced the role of Matilda, is convinced Birmingham audiences will love The Suit.
“There’s a really dramatic aspect to the whole ballet – the emotions that we all show on stage read really well from the audience and they have no choice but to be as invested in the characters and the story as we are. It’s like a film, and they are drawn into it so they are kept on a hook until the end – there’s real suspense.
“When you dance it, it’s a mental Olympics because there are so many ups and downs and backflips of these characters. We only have a little over 30 minutes and yet the audience really relates to them. The audience feels the beginning, the being in love, the affair, the devastation and then the real rollercoaster of it all.”
Cira joined Ballet Black 11 years ago, moving from New York-based Dance Theater of Harlem. Being in Ballet Black has given her a wide range of opportunities and even saw her take to the stage at Glastonbury Festival this summer performing alongside grime artist Stormzy.
“It was amazing to be at Glastonbury and to reach all those new people and have people talking about ballet,” she says. “When I came to the UK 11 years ago the world of ballet was very different from what it is now. I’ve definitely been here long enough to see the numbers for diversity and inclusion grow in the world of ballet.
“What drew me here then was there weren’t many representatives of people of colour in the ballet world. It was scary at first because as a dark-skinned woman in the ballet world there weren’t many women who looked like me but Ballet Black gave me the platform and the help to go out and be a face of the future. It’s being part of encouraging that future generation – we all need people who look like us who we can look up to.”
And Birmingham is an ideal opportunity for the company.
“We try to come to Birmingham most years but this will be the longest consecutive run for us. Birmingham is always so nice – the people are so welcoming and friendly.
“Birmingham is perfect for us – it’s so diverse, filled with so many different kinds of people, and hopefully we’ll get those different kinds of people in the audience. And we want this new audience to enjoy The Suit as much as we do.”
Birmingham Royal Ballet Autumn Mixed Bill featuring A Brief Nostalgia, The Suit and Nine Sinatra Songs is performed at Birmingham Hippodrome on September 19-21, followed by Giselle on September 25-28.
For ticket information see www. birminghamhippodrome.com or call 0844 338 5000.