Black Grace: From Cannon's Creek to Jacob's Pillow

Black Grace, a dance troupe composed of Maori and Samoan men, rises from a small town in New Zealand to Jacob's Pillow, the pinnacle of the international dance world.

The Boston Globe dance critic Karen Campbell says:
"Black Grace: The name combines a world that in New Zealand is slang for daring and bravery with a quality not attributed to men. It's exquisitely apt. Never before has this reviewer seen a group of male dancers who seemed so gentle yet breathtakingly virile. The New Zealand-based all-male troupe can rock the house."

Links to Additional Information
PBS's Black Grace: From Cannon's Creek to Jacob's Pillow page
The official site of the Black Grace Dance Company
The official site of Jacob's Pillow
The Boston Globe article: "Black Grace troupe melds Maori culture and modern dance"
The Village Voice article: "Summer Visitors"

More About the Film
The all-male dance company Black Grace boasts some of New Zealand's finest and most respected contemporary dancers. Predominantly Pacific Island and Maori, this company is renowned for their unique ability to combine traditional and contemporary dance forms. This sets this innovative company apart from any other professional dance company in New Zealand.

Based in Auckland, this relatively young company has developed a crossover audience from the Pacific Island, Maori, and European communities in New Zealand. Their tours to Sydney and New Caledonia in recent years have demonstrated that the company's appeal can also cross international boundaries.

Neil Ieremia, founder, Artistic Director, and Chief Executive of Black Grace, is unquestionably one of New Zealand's most accomplished and hard working choreographers. Following his graduation from the Auckland Performing Arts School, Neil joined the acclaimed Douglas Wright Dance Company and subsequently worked with many of New Zealand's leading choreographers. In 1995, Neil formed Black Grace Dance Company, debuting with a record-breaking season at Auckland's Maidment Theatre.

Over the past decade, Neil has also choreographed work for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Opera New Zealand, New Zealand Wearable Arts, the New Zealand School of Dance, and the Rotterdam Dance Academy. He has extensively toured his company, Black Grace, throughout the main centers and regional New Zealand, including sold out performances at New Zealand International Festival of the Arts. They have performed right across Australia including the Festival of Dreaming, Sydney, and UWA Perth International Arts Festival.

In 2003, Neil and the Company toured the Netherlands, performing at the Holland Dance Festival. During this year, Neil recieved a nomination for the prestigious international Rolex Mentor Programme. The following year, Black Grace debuted in the United States to audience and critical acclaim, at the world-renowned Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.

"He has spread his artistic roots in several rich pasts and grown up and out into a sunlight of his own making."
The New York Times