It begins in darkness

In this stark, stripped back performance, five dancers move through a series of mysterious and experimental rites of passage, channelling past, present and future tensions through their bodies and voices. As if to exorcise the haunted house of history, the dancers whisper, jump, wrestle, shiver, wail and laugh, filling the space with horrors, both real and imagined.

It begins in darkness is an environment for processing the fear, anger and confusion which arise from the histories of slavery and colonialism that haunt the present.

Seke has been researching the connections between horror, haunting and the histories of slavery and colonialism since 2019. The research has included the writing of a long piece of text, a rehearsal period on Zoom, and a residency at a stately home, alongside work in the studio. This is Seke’s first independently created group piece since 2015, following recent works “Black Holes”, an Afrofuturist duet with Alexandrina Hemsley, “Plastic Soul”, part rock show, part dance solo, and “Detective Work”, a duet with Stephanie McMann about mystery and figuring things out. He has also recently made a new work with Candoco Dance Company.