Are you still holding out for a hero? Ballet Black may help, with an engaging new double bill about finding heroism in the everyday. Although performed with oomph, it says a lot about life in 2024 that both pieces seem less stirringly heroic than speaking to an era of social anxiety.
A crown hangs spotlit in midair as Sophie Laplane’s If At First kicks off. It’s an almost childlike symbol of glory, and the score includes recurring blasts of Beethoven grandeur. Isabela Coracy reaches for the prize, while other dancers surround her with mirrored discs offering distorted reflections. She seems to attain the crown, only for it to be snatched away, prompting an impish tussle for possession.
