Black Grace

Black Grace is an internationally touring modern dance company, formed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1995. Neil Ieremia, the group's founder and choreographer, draws on Māori and Pacific Islander indigenous dance, as well as modern dance and hip hop. Ieremia graduated from the Auckland Performing Arts School and joined the Douglas Wright Dance Company, the leading New Zealand contemporary-dance company at the time. However, the founding members, such as Sam Fuataga and Sean MacDonald, initially had more experience with sports such as rugby, basketball and running than with dance. Performances remain infused with athleticism and may occasionally include a bit of whimsy that is less common in those of other troupes. In Human Language, as the female dancers dance before them, the male dancers inflate toy balloons and look upward in mimicry of courting behavior of certain bird species.

Coming from a story-telling tradition called slap dancing that includes speaking, singing and slapping their bodies, Ieremia incorporates these elements in his choreography. Musical accompaniment includes Samoan indigenous music, Bach and hip hop.