Ballet Black combines mystery and dark comedy with glorious dancing

Acaoã de Castro and Taraja Hudson in Chanel DaSilva’s A Shadow Work

Dancers of Ballet Black Company in Chanel DaSilva’s A Shadow Work

Ebony Thomas and Helga Paris-Morales in Cassa Pancho's My Sister, The Serial Killer

Isabela Coracy and Ballet Black Company in Cassa Pancho's My Sister, The Serial Killer

Helga Paris-Morales and Isabela Coracy in Cassa Pancho's My Sister, The Serial Killer

By Kathy Elgin, 23 May 2025

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“it’s a great crime caper and makes a blackly comic half-hour”

Reviewed at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Edinburgh on 21 May 2025

My Sister, The Serial Killer (Cassa Pancho)

A Shadow Work (Chanel DaSilva)

Ballet Black

David Plater, Lighting Designer

Taraja Hudson, Dancer

Acaoã de Castro, Dancer

Isabela Coracy, Dancer

Helga Paris-Morales, Dancer

Ebony Thomas, Dancer

Ballet Black in Shadows: a memorable debut at Sadler's Wells

Graham Watts, 26th November

Ballet Black making its debut at Sadler's Wells after 25 years with a diverse and truly enjoyable double bill.

***11

Ballet Black in Shadows: a memorable debut at Sadler's Wells

Graham Watts, 26th November

Ballet Black making its debut at Sadler's Wells after 25 years with a diverse and truly enjoyable double bill.

***11

Scottish Ballet’s The Snow Queen in Edinburgh

Kathy Elgin, 27th November

Scottish Ballet’s third outing of Christopher Hampson’s The Snow Queen sees some modifications to the story and it’s more spectacular than ever.

****1

Figures in Extinction: a thrilling evening with NDT 1

Kathy Elgin, 22nd August

An evening focused on the separation of humanity from the natural world and the destruction of that world, either because of ignorance, greed or just not caring.

*****

Mary, Queen of Scots: Scottish Ballet at Edinburgh Festival

Kathy Elgin, 15th August

Resident choreographer Sophie Laplane, star dancer with the company for 13 years before spreading her choreographic wings, takes on Scotland’s most tragic and divisive historical figure

*****

Kismet: Rambert’s new double bill brings youthful joy to Edinburgh

Kathy Elgin, 3rd July

Rambert’s double bill, clearly a joyous experience for the many who leaped to their feet whooping, but perhaps a bit lightweight for anyone not quite so easily satisfied with novelty.

***11

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Kathy Elgin

After a career in publishing, Kathy Elgin turned her enthusiasm for dance into a real job by joining the late, great John Percival, Dance Critic of The Times, in his re-launch of Dance and Dancers magazine in 1981. She was later delighted to join its rival, The Dancing Times, as Scottish correspondent until the magazine’s sad demise in 2022. She lives in Edinburgh.