Graceful Entry

Black Grace made its highly anticipated US debut at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Boston, earning ecstatic reviews from the national press. New York Times: “This modern-dance company from NZ exceeded expectations in dance that was startlingly fresh and full of invention, humor and infectious exuberance […] “Objects” is one of the most haunting evocations of cultural displacement that I have ever seen … [Founder Neil Ieremia] has spread his artistic roots in several rich pasts and grown up and out into a sunlight of his own making.” A second Times review describes the all-male Maori and Pacific Island group as “one of the most quietly exotic troupes ever to appear at [the festival.]” Executive director of Jacob’s Pillow, Ella Baff, invited Black Grace to perform after seeing their debut European performance at the Holland Dance Festival last year. “Their movement vocabulary is different from anyone else’s,” she says. “In some pieces you can see Pacific influence, and a particularly fine fusion with Western modern dance … And I liked their attitude toward the audience – welcoming and inviting without being coy.”