Viewing Ivan Michael Blackstock’s Traplord

Ivan Michael Blackstock’s Traplord, a dance, music, spoken word performance, tackles raw and confrontational issues including mental health, racism and masculinity. Through energetic bouts of rap, hip-hop, krump and spoken poetry, Blackstock interrogates stereotypes of Black masculinity in western society in bold and daring ways. The result is a magnificent meditation on male vulnerability and violence.

Except high energy, intense physicality and a compelling dance performance punctuated by flashes of theatrical brilliance. Simisola Majekodunmi’s lighting creates a dark, brooding atmosphere, while the visual projections of video games echo the rhythms on stage. There’s a lot going on here, which makes the narrative difficult to follow at times, but this intense, upfront and powerful show will stay with you long after you’ve left the performance space.