The work itself is highly physical, rich in the storytelling traditions of the South Pacific and expressed with raw finesse, unique beauty and power.

In 1995, Neil Ieremia formed Black Grace Dance Company, debuting with a record-breaking season at Auckland's Maidment Theatre.

Black Grace was initially made up of ten male dancers of Pacific, Māori and New Zealand heritage and stayed a strictly all-male Company until 2001.

It was when a guest choreographer pulled out of the project at the last minute, that Ieremia had to step in to complete the programme, when he had the idea for a work titled Human Language.

The invitation to perform at Jacob’s Pillow catapulted Neil Ieremia as a choreographer and Black Grace into the highly competitive American market and the international stage.

Since then, Black Grace has become one of New Zealand’s most successful cultural exports, performing Ieremia’s choreography in Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Caledonia, South Korea, Switzerland and the United States of America.

Born and bred in Cannons Creek, Porirua, Ieremia was raised in a tough working-class neighbourhood located to the North East of Wellington, in a country focused more on its sporting prowess than creative expression.

In his final year at the Auckland Performing Arts School he joined the acclaimed Douglas Wright Dance Company and subsequently worked with many of New Zealand's leading choreographers.

In 2016, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to dance and in 2021, he was a recipient of a Kea World Class Award, and was inducted into the Porirua Hall of Fame.

Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/16/arts/dance-review-new-zealand-company-breaks-out-and-soars.html[3] “The distinguishing spirit of this dance troupe, directed by Neil Ieremia, is an exhilarating, seemingly inexhaustible energy.” - New York Times, 2019.

Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/arts/dance/black-grace-review.html[4] "…Black Grace crosses geographical and social boundaries, often with innovative flair and theatricality… It packs the raw visceral power of a primal communal rite into a carefully constructed form of rigor and sophistication."

Retrieved from https://criticaldance.org/black-grace/ [8] “Neil Ieremia, Black Grace’s Artistic Director, has the necessary choreographic skill to shape movement that can reflect the complexity of Bach’s polyphony.

Mark Morris possesses a similar finesse with music and dance, though Ieremia was not afraid to add concept and imagery to his exploration of the score.