A bold fusion of hip hop dance and circus combining fast-paced footwork with Chinese Pole and tight-wire.
Union Black was a show that boldly drew parallels between the alliances and divisions within the game of politics and the must-win business of football. It combined the signature fast-paced footwork and physical floor-work of Far From the Norm along with the strength and skill of a group of circus artists.
Creatively led by Botis Seva of Far From the Norm, the show was the result of a collaboration between established dance and circus artists from the UK, Sweden, Ireland and France, UK hip hop theatre collective Far From The Norm and Gaëtan Levêque from French Collectif AOC.
The core group worked together in Paris and Stockholm from November 2017. They were then joined by emerging artists living in London, Stockholm, Cork and Paris to create and perform bespoke versions of Union Black in each location throughout 2018, the anniversary of the birth of the modern-day circus.
The creation and presentation of Union Black was part funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union; Circus250 Diverse • Real • Physical.
Nedjma Hadj Benchelabi created a short film where dancers from Far From The Norm and circus and dance artists Alessio Motta, Matt Szczerek, and Arthur Sidoroff talk about their experiences of the making of Union Black with choreographer Botis Seva alongside footage of the creative process and final performance. You can watch it here.
Our presentation of Union Black was part of the nationwide celebrations for Circus250, the anniversary of the birth of the modern-day circus and supported by Arts Council England, Institut Francais and The Garrick Charitable Trust.
