{"id":11576,"date":"2021-05-13T14:49:18","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T14:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/?p=11576"},"modified":"2025-04-21T07:16:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T07:16:29","slug":"2001-cassa-pancho-founds-ballet-black","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/2021\/05\/13\/2001-cassa-pancho-founds-ballet-black\/","title":{"rendered":"2001 – Cassa Pancho founds Ballet Black"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

2001<\/h1>\n

Cassa Pancho founds Ballet Black<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Inspired by Arthur Mitchell, Cassa Pancho establishes Ballet Black, a company for Black and Asian dancers in classical ballet.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Ballet
Photo via Barbican<\/em><\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trinidadian British dancer Cassa Pancho, who trained at the Royal Academy of Dance and Durham University, noticed a lack of opportunities for Black and Asian dancers in the UK. She thus founded Ballet Black, a company that provides \u201cdancers and students of black and Asian descent with inspiring opportunities in classical ballet,\u201d in 2001. Pancho was \u201cinspired by [Arthur] Mitchell\u2019s example\u201d (Narratives 60). She and ballet master Denzil Bailey<\/a>, a former member of the English National Ballet, held auditions at London\u2019s Royal Academy of Dance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The company\u2019s founding members were Frederic Claudel, Celia Grannum, Florence Kollie, Sia Kpakiwa, Gerrard Martin and Jake Nwogu, all of whom performed Pancho and Bailey\u2019s choreography at Ballet Black\u2019s debut at the Royal Academy of Dance.<\/div>\n
\n

Ballet Black says their ultimate goal is \u201cto see a fundamental change in the number of black and Asian dancers in mainstream ballet companies, making Ballet Black wonderfully unnecessary.\u201d Pancho remains CEO and artistic director of the company.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Narratives in Black British Dance: Embodied Practices. Germany, Springer International Publishing, 2018.
\nHistory, Ballet Black<\/a>
\nThe Company, Ballet Black<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Other Happenings in 2001<\/h3>\n

Ballet\/Dance History<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"TinaTina Pereira joins the National Ballet of Canada<\/p>\n

After training at Canada’s National Ballet School starting at age 12, Trinidadian dancer Tina Pereira<\/a> joined the National Ballet of Canada in 2001. She stayed with the company until 2004, when she joined Het Nationale Ballet. But Pereira ultimately returned to the Canadian company in 2006 and was promoted to the rank of first soloist in 2009.<\/p>\n

Pereira’s repertoire with the company is extensive: The Sugar Plum Fairy in\u00a0The Nutcracker<\/i>, Carmen in\u00a0Carmen<\/i>, Lise in\u00a0La Fille mal gard\u00e9e<\/i>, Valencienne in\u00a0The Merry Widow<\/i>, Katerina in\u00a0The Taming of the Shrew<\/i>, Spring in\u00a0The Four Seasons<\/i>, Le Serpent in\u00a0Le Petit Prince<\/i>, Perditia and the Young Shepherdess in\u00a0The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/i>, as well as roles in Wayne McGregor\u2019s\u00a0Chroma<\/i>, Twyla Tharp\u2019s\u00a0In the Upper Room<\/i>, George Balanchine\u2019s\u00a0Symphony in C<\/i>, and Sir Frederick Ashton\u2019s\u00a0Monotones I<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tina Pereira, The National Ballet of Canada<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Jun 24: Peter Martins’ Hallelujah Junction<\/em> premieres in Copenhagen.
\nDance Europe<\/em> Magazine names Tanya Wideman-Davis<\/a> the “Best Female Dancer of 2001-2002.”
\nAnne Jones<\/a> of the Negro Unit of Ballet Theatre passes away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

American History<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jan 20: The inauguration of George W. Bush takes place.
\nJun 7: George W. Bush initiates what is later known as the “Bush tax cuts.”
\nSept 11: Almost 3,000 are killed in the attacks on New York’s World Trade Center; Virginia’s The Pentagon; and Shanksvilla, PA.
\nSept 18: Anthrax attacks target American newspapers and television news channels.
\nNov 30: Gary Ridgway, The Green River Killer, is arrested after committing at least 48 murders.<\/p>\n

World History<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jan 23: The Tiananmen Square incident takes place.
\nOct 7: The United States and other nations initiate invasions in Afghanistan, responding to the September 11th attacks.
\nDec 11: The People’s Republic of China joins the World Trade Organization.
\nDec 15: The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after an 11-year renovation.<\/p>\n

Arts & Sciences<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jan 9: iTunes is launched.
\nJan 15: Wikipedia is launched.
\nJul 2: The first “self-contained” artificial hearts is implanted.
\nOct 23: Apple’s iPod is introduced.
\nNov 21: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone<\/em>, the first in the film franchise, is released.<\/p>\n

Human & Civil Rights<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apr 1: Netherlands’ “Act on the Opening up of Marriage” allows same-sex couples to marry.
\nAug 21: NATO sends a peace-keeping force to the Republic of Macedonia.
\nAug 31: In South Africa, The World Conference Against Racism 2001 begins.
\nSept 3: Israel, the United States, and Canada withdraw from the Conference Against Racism because “they feel that the issue of Zionism is overemphasized.”<\/p>\n

Sports<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aug: The 2001 World Championships take place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
\nSept 39: A boxing gala event is held in honor of the victims and rescuers of the September 11th attacks.
\nOct 30: Michael Jordan returns to the National Basketball Association after 3.5 years.<\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong><\/p>\n

2001, Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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