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A Black person with closed eyes and wet hair, surrounded by droplets, with colourful digital lines streaking across the image.

#BlackBoyJoyGone: Realise

#BlackBoyJoyGone: Realise a Black disabled/neurodiverse-led night of performance empowering Black men to speak up and share their stories of mental health difficulties and trauma.

  • Alongside the #BlackBoyJoyGone film, 4 Black men and transmasc artists premiere brand new works across artforms to share their experiences, provoke public discussion, and support collective healing.

    Bola Olagunju introduced “Tearing Flesh”.

    Randolph Matthews, who is the composer of the #BBJG music introduced a reimagined version of the interviews, lyrics and music.

    Tayo Aluko presented “Dodging Bullets” for the first time.

    Chad Taylor performed an adaptation of his piece “Closer To My Dreams”.

    This work premiered at HOME, Manchester and later toured to Riley Theatre, Leeds, and Blackfest festival, Liverpool in 2023.

    This project is supported by Mind, BFI Doc Society, HOME, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Red Earth Collective, and The Hull Afro Caribbean Association.

  • DIRECTED AND PRODUCED: Ashley Karrell

    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Adam Lowe

    COMPOSER: Randolph Matthews

    PERFORMERS: Tayo Aluko, Chad Taylor, Randolph Matthews, Bola Olagunju

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A Black person with a beard and closed eyes has his arms raised above his head and hands interlocked, with a colourful abstract projection in the background.

#BlackBoyJoyGone

#BlackBoyJoyGone is a multi-award-winning documentary exploring the mental health of Black men (trans and non-binary masc inclusive), the impact of sexual trauma, and the healing power of brotherhood. 

  • Through a visually vibrant and bold blend of interviews, poetry, dance, and storytelling, this BFI Doc Society funded film reveals the lived experiences and hopeful perspectives of Black men across England. 

    Already screened 36 times across 26 cities in 7 countries, with a 2023 Grierson Award nomination, #BlackBoyJoyGone is an intimate portrait of what it means to reclaim joy and connection.

    The film, released in 2022, blends dance, poetry, and first-person storytelling with magical realism and indigenous African spirituality to create a safe space for sharing and explore how Black men can find healing and transformation.

    Working collaboratively with mental health organisations and individuals in the UK, including Mind charity and Black mental health professionals, this project has reached out far and wide to amplify the voices of Black men who are often marginalised and underrepresented in accessing support and wellbeing services.

    The title ties in with the celebration of Black men through the #BlackBoyJoy motif. It is a play on how we’re never ‘too far gone’ if we seek the right help.

  • DIRECTOR: Ashley Karrell, Isaac Ouro-Gnao

    PRODUCER: Melanie Abrahams, Ashley Karrell

    CO-PRODUCER: Hannah Bush Bailey

    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Lisa Marie Russo

    EDITOR: Tonye Mak

    SCREENWRITER: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

    DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Robert Macfarlane

    PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Rhian Kempadoo-Millar

    SOUND: Robert Wingfield

    MUSIC: Randolph Matthews

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Group of six dancers performing on stage with a black background, some dancing and one standing still, dressed in casual clothing.

It Begins In Darkness

It begins in darkness is a dance full of ghosts.

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.

  • CONCEIVED AND DIRECTED: Seke Chimutengwende

    CHOREOGRAPHY AND TEXT: Seke Chimutengwende with the dancers

    DANCERS (2023 TOUR): Isaac Ouro-Gnao, Adrienne Ming, Mayowa Ogunnaike, Kassichana Okene-Jameson and Natifah White

    ORIGINAL CAST: Rhys Dennis and Rose Sall Sao

    CREATED WITH INPUT FROM Alethia Antonia

    DRAMATURGY: Charlie Ashwell

    LIGHTING DESIGN: Marty Langthorne

    COSTUME DESIGN: Annie Pender

    COMPOSER: Aisha Orazbayeva

    DOUBLE-BASS ON SOUNDSCORE: Hugo Abraham

    SOUND TECHNICIAN: Michael Picknett

    VOCAL COACHING: Randolph Matthews

    RESEARCH CONSULTANT FOR R&D PHASE: Sita Balani

    PRODUCTION: Lucia Fortune-Ely, Metal and Water

    PRODUCTION MANAGER 2023/2024: Michael Picknett

    PRODUCER 2022 AND 2023 TOUR PLANNING: Eve Veglio-Hüner

    COMPANY TEACHERS: Seke Chimutengwende, Shannelle Fergus

    PHOTO CREDIT: Harry Clark

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Neon sign reading "The Burnt City" in a dark, futuristic cityscape with tall buildings and a cloudy sky.

THE BURNT CITY

The Burnt City is the latest production by award-winning company Punchdrunk (Sleep No More), who make genre-defying experiences for audiences around the world. Inspired by Aeschylus’ Agamemnon and Euripides’ Hecuba, The Burnt City transports the greatest of Greek tragedies to a sprawling neon metropolis.

  • A completely unique dream-like experience, brought to life through physical performance, dance, sound and light. Isaac played the dancing/acting role of Askalaphos, helper of Hades and Persephone, and as the all-singing, all-dancing bar host ‘Icy’ for the underworld cabaret PEEP.

  • DIRECTED: Felix Barrett, Maxine Doyle

    CHOREOGRAPHY: Maxine Doyle

    DESIGN: Felix Barrett, Livi Vaughan & Beatrice Minns

    SOUND DESIGN: Stephen Dobbie

    LIGHTING DESIGN: F9, Ben Donoghue & Felix Barrett

    COSTUME DESIGN: David Israel Reynoso

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Four people on stage with dramatic expressions, one woman in front with her hands on her head and mouth open, surrounded by three others also showing surprise or shock

Boy breaking glass

Boy Breaking Glass is a dance theatre ensemble piece inspired by the poem of the same name written by Gwendolyn Brooks - the first Black female poet in the United States to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. With a mix of dance and music, the work features Alesandra Seutin’s signature style of theatre. 

  • “After reading the poem ‘Boy Breaking Glass’ by Gwendolyn Brooks, I started reflecting on the ‘Boy’ and wondered why he was breaking glass?

    Boy Breaking Glass is an ode to all the brown artists who may be in the shadows or forgotten and who have paved the way for so many including me. A memory to their existence and that they once shined and somehow did not get the opportunity to break through and stay visible. And for the young dancers who like me need self-reflective models to inspire their journeys. In creating such work, I am assuming great responsibility, to which I bare proudly.”

    - Alesandra Seutin, Artistic Director, Vocab Dance

  • ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER: Alesandra Seutin

    PERFORMERS AND COLLABORATORS: Akeim Toussaint Buck, Isaac Ouro-Gnao, Nosiphiwo Samente, Rose Sall Sao, Sean Graham, Moses Ward

    REHEARSAL DIRECTORS: Sadé Alleyne & Jo Leahy

    COMPOSER: Randolph Matthews

    MUSICIANS: Vidal Montgomery, Nicholas Hewlett, Stefano Ancora

    ORIGINAL COSTUME DESIGNER: Kimie Nakano

    PRODUCED: Uprise Rebel

    PRODUCTION MANAGER: Salvatore Scollo

    LIGHTING DESIGNER: Salvatore Scollo

    LIGHTING TECHNICIAN: Michael Morgan

    SET DESIGN: Ryan Laight

    RECORDING STUDIO ENGINEER: Keenan Bailey

    SOUNDS ENGINEER: Andres Pascua Montejo (UK) & Diederik De Cock (Brussels)

    PHOTO CREDIT: Camilla Greenwell

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Close-up of a muscular person's upper body, including shoulders, neck, and part of his face against a dark background.

INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA

The work premiered at Serendipity’s ‘AfroManifesto’ programme at The Chapel Gallery, Leicester, and featured in their magazine ‘Black Ink’ in 2021. It later appeared on Google Arts & Culture’s Black History Month feature following a commission by Arts Council England.

  • What traumas have been passed onto us? What deeply distressing experiences are we holding onto? What lasting effects are we likely to replicate and pass on to the next generation?

    Attempting to answer these questions, Intergenerational Trauma by Isaac Ouro-Gnao and Ashley Karrell is a series of photographs and film vignettes that explore this very concept. Through somatic movement and breathwork, the visuals highlight how trauma is held in the body and how it can be released.

  • PERFORMED: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

    PHOTOGRAPHY AND CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ashley Karrell

    PRODUCED AND DIRECTED: Isaac Ouro-Gnao, Ashley Karrell

    COMMISSIONED: Serendipity, Google Arts & Culture

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Close-up black and white photograph of a person’s eyes and eyebrows, showing detailed skin texture.

PALATABLE

Drawing from the Oreo as a metaphor, Palatable questions the meaning of assimilation for the Black diaspora in western and European society, how assimilation is thrust onto us, and what that assimilation looks like.

Palatable featured in the exhibition section of The Oreo Complex in 2018.

  • Easy on the eyes, easy on the ears, easy on the tongue. There seems to be a pressure to edit ourselves in order to assimilate and fit into an environment. Whether that's through the way we talk, act, or even by what we wear.

  • WRITTEN, CHOREOGRAPHED, PERFORMED, PRODUCED AND DIRECTED: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

    POETRY TRANSLATION: Afi Ouro-Gnao, Kofi Lucide Hator

    CINEMATOGRAPHY: Tobi ‘Odd Venture’ Izedomi

    EDITING: Imoje Aikhoje

    MUSIC: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

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A shirtless person with a patterned Kente cloth draped over his shoulder stands in a room with warm light casting shadows on his face.

The Oreo Complex

Rooted in hip hop dance, west African agbadza, poetry, and visual arts, The Oreo Complex marks Isaac Ouro-Gnao’s first full-length theatre piece. It uncovers the intergenerational discriminatory label and its relationship to assimilation, and the effect these dynamics have on our mental health and identity.

  • An Oreo (a.k.a Bounty/Coconut) is a person of Black ethnicity or heritage labelled ‘Black on the outside but white on the inside’.

    Through west African and Black British history, the piece highlights how important it is to own our identities and to be the ones in charge of the Black identity narrative in the UK and western society.

    The R&D of The Oreo Complex was commissioned & supported by Artists4Artists and Redbridge Drama Centre as part of Man & Men showcase. It was later platformed by Rich Mix during the Roots & Beyond festival in 2018, by Serendipity in 2019 as part of the BHM Live programme, and Siobhan Davies Dance’s Open Choreography Performance Evening.

  • WRITTEN, CHOREOGRAPHED, AND PERFORMED: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

    MUSIC: Ffion Campbell-Davies

    PHOTOGRAPHY: Foteini Christofilopoulou

    EXHIBITION PHOTOGRAPHY: Carole Edrich

    VIDEOGRAPHY: Tobi Izedomi

    EDITED: Imoje Aikhoje

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Two people in a dance pose, leaning backwards supporting each other, in a dimly lit room with plain white wall background.

Father Figurine

Father Figurine questions the stigmas around the mental health of men and boys through provocative hip hop theatre. It is Body Politic’s first full-length piece. It was first performed as part of The Place’s dance festival ‘Resolution’ in January 2018 and later toured in Autumn 2019.

  • Father Figurine talks about the fragilities and vulnerabilities in men and young boys. Figures show young people are affected disproportionately with over half of mental health problems, starting by the age of 14 and 75% by 18.

    This piece combines poignant spoken word poetry with hip hop dance, to explore the fractured relationship between a father and his son and their inability to healthily deal with a traumatic event.

    Will they be able to share their emotions with each other? Or will they fall into the statistic of nearly half of men believing they can’t express their feelings?

  • ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Emma-Jane Greig

    WRITTEN: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

    CHOREOGRAPHY: Stephen Brown and Derek Mok

    PERFORMERS AND ADDITIONAL CHOREOGRAPHY: Isaac Ouro-Gnao and Tyrone Isaac-Stuart

    ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGN: Damien Roberts

    RELIGHTER, AUTUMN 2019 TOUR LIGHTING DESIGNER: Joe Price

    DRAMATURGICAL SUPPORT: Maxwell Golden

    PRODUCER: Lee Griffiths

    PHOTO CREDIT: Josh Tomalin

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Silhouette of a shirtless person with medium long afro hair against a dark brick wall, appearing to be leaning forward with his arms hanging downward.

POLARITY

Heavy thoughts. Heavy mind. Polarity, Isaac’s first solo piece, is a physical embodiment of the 'over-thinking' thought process of someone with anxiety. 

  • The piece was made for Body Politic’s 4th year anniversary in 2016, an event of performances from artists and community linked to Body Politic curated by Isaac Ouro-Gnao.

  • CHOREOGRAPHY: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

    VIDEOGRAPHY: Habib Ouro-Gnao

    EDITOR: Imoje Aikhoje

    MUSIC: ‘K/Half Noise’ by Múm, ‘The Nervous System’ by Hawk House

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Group of five dancers performing in a dark studio, with a rectangular frame in the background, wearing casual cream and grey tops and dark jeans.

REFLECTIONS

Created by Body Politic and written by Isaac Ouro-Gnao, Reflections highlights the internal pressures we place on ourselves that can often lead to distorted thinking, low self-esteem and vulnerability.

  • Accompanied by powerful spoken word and dynamic movement, Reflections takes you on a journey exploring the highs and lows of mental health in young people.

  • ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Emma-Jane Greig

    WRITTEN: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

    CHOREOGRAPHY: Stephen Brown and Derek Mok

    PERFORMERS: Tobi Oswald Oduntan, Isaac Ouro, Emma-Jane Morbey, Amy Elliott, and Emily Parpas Georgiou

    LIGHTING DESIGN: Damian Robertson

    PHOTO CREDIT: Josh Tomalin

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A shirtless person standing in a forest with sunlight shining on his face, looking upwards.

The Trees Told Me A Secret

“I miss who I was. I miss how I was.”

Through spoken word poetry and dance improvisation, this piece looks at the effects anxiety has on the identity.

  • It looks at the internal battles we have when we feel our mental health has changed us, and how we attempt to return to who and what we once were.

  • WRITTEN, CHOREOGRAPHED, AND PERFORMED: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

    DIRECTED: Imoje Aikhoje

    MUSIC: Coloring – Kevin Garrett

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