Ballet Black

Synopsis: Ballet Negres was Europe’s first all black dance company, founded in London by Berto Pasuka in 1946. The fusion of Afro-Caribbean dance, classical ballet and mime was unique at the time and the Company reached its height of popularity between 1948 and 1950 before finally disbanding in 1952. Recalls the history of Ballet Negres through press reviews, newsreel footage and reminiscences of members of the original company who were reunited after 35 years. Shows a reconstruction of young black dancers rehearsing and performing one of Pasuka’s most controversial pieces ‘They Came’.
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Video; Videocassette. U-matic, VHS. col. 83 min.
Year of production: 1986
Availability: Sale
Notes: VHS videocassette is also available for hire at £20.
Uses: Specialist and general audiences interested in dance; also of interest to students of film as art.*
Subjects: Dance
Keywords: ballet; dance - Afro-Caribbean

Name: Arts on Film Archive, University of Westminster
Notes: Arts on Film Archive offers on-line access to a large range of films on art produced in the United Kingdom since the 1950s, and is a unique record of British and international post-war art, as well as of documentary film-making in the UK. In its first phase, the archive offers a complete database and an on-line video streaming of all 450 films made by the film department of Arts Council England between 1953 and 1998 and several films produced till 2003 by the dance Department of ACE. The collection is only available streamed to ac.uk domain addresses.

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