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Ivan Michael Blackstock’s TRAPLORD | Aviva Studios | Factory International | Manchester

Ivan Michael Blackstock is an Olivier award-winning choreographer whose political and self-empowering projects have seen him collaborate with the likes of Nike and Beyoncé on the film Black is King and the Grammy-winning video Brown Skin Girl. Now at Aviva Studio’s, Blackstock’s latest work, Traplord showcases the barriers that must be broken to offer fresh perspectives. 


Going down the rabbit hole and exploring the darker stereotypes surrounding what it means to be Black, Blackstock unpacks masculinity, race and mental health alongside a powerful ensemble of performers. Stereotypes exist for a reason, but breaking away from the prejudices surrounding race, gender and their impact on the self is a journey that Blackstock reveals through Traplord. The multifaceted production passionately infuses spoken word, live music, dance and absorbing visuals to draw the Aviva Studio audience into the shadowy world of its characters and offers a rallying cry for compassion and freedom of expression. 


The manosphere may tell you that real men don’t cry and silence should be celebrated, but here the physical performances in Traplord are pure, raw emotion. Building from the show's themes of masculinity and suppression, the performances become ever more explosive. From mirrored krumping freestyles to popping in sync and melding together. 


There is a pull and an allure to the playful aesthetics that Traplord offers. Running against a digital backdrop of an estate, Aviva’s wide, blacked-out stage displays the Trap Hero as he competes against computer game visuals of a puppeteering, pig-faced boss. Overshadowed, his warped world looks inescapable and the illusions surrounding money and power all feel gamified amongst the bedazzled guns and showy cars. With the ensemble's lonely surroundings making group performances intimidating and competitive, Traplord looks inwards for an honest perspective on what it means to break out of these ideals. Magero’s sharp, spoken word commentary used between the action packs a punch. Picking up and playing with the stereotypes used to make visible, the self-destructive and rigid portrayals of black people. 


Traplord premiered in 2022 and its universal themes will never stop being relevant. The impressive ensemble of creatives put their foot on the gas to question our ideas of masculinity, reshape themes of depression and spin them into stunning scenes of visual art and dance. Taken in segments, its overarching ideas showcase what a restrictive outlook on life can lead to and what can happen when you open yourself up to new ways of thinking. 

Tickets for Traplord are available through the Factory International link

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