Kyle Abraham: Pavement review – dancing in handcuffs with aggression and grace

Sadler’s Wells, London
Inspired by his Philadelphia childhood and the film Boyz N the Hood, Abraham’s vivid choreography evokes daily violence but also camaraderie and tenderness
The basketball court that forms the set of Pavement is like those that can be found in any city in the world, and it’s this universal quality that makes Kyle Abraham’s work so affecting as political dance theatre. He draws on very specific sources – his childhood in Pittsburgh, the LA gang