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SUPPORT BALLET BLACK

Ballet Black is Britain’s most diverse ballet company. It was founded by Cassa Pancho MBE in 2001 with a mission to make a fundamental change in the diversity of mainstream classical ballet – on stage, behind the scenes, and among audiences & participants. We recognise the importance of providing visible, diverse role models of Black and Asian descent in ballet. Our professional ballet company is made up of eight dancers from around the world. We create award-winning new work that is bold and distinctive, both live and on film, that tours the UK and internationally. Our size and scale of production makes it possible for us to perform in large theatres such as The Barbican as well as small scale theatres like DanceXchange, enabling us to take our work to areas that may not otherwise receive high-quality ballet. We have developed a strong reputation as one of the most prolific commissioners of ballet in the UK and are known for nurturing many emerging choreographers who have gone on to enjoy successful careers.

We also develop talent at the early stages of ballet through our subsidised Junior School & Junior Associate Programme, providing professionally taught ballet classes led by teachers of diverse heritage to children and young people aged 3 to 18. Our Junior Associate Programme is designed to support and inspire girls and young women aged 12 to 16 during the crucial pre-vocational stage of ballet training. This cements our commitment to reaching a critical mass of young people for whom the artform of ballet has historically been closed and is part of our contribution to diversifying ballet in the UK.

We challenge perceptions in ballet, promote greater inclusion in dance training, and are growing audience diversity for ballet and the wider dance sector across the UK. We are also playing a vital role in advocating wider societal change through our industry-changing collaborations, such as working with Freed of London to create the first UK made pointe shoes for Black, Asian, and culturally diverse dancers.

Digital technology has become a vital part of what we do since 2020. Currently have made use of a two-year Bloomberg Tech Fellow grant to solidify and extend the role of Digital Producer. This role is responsible for developing and implementing our mobile screening service enabling us to take our film work to theatres that are unable to meet our minimum financial requirements for live performance, plus schools, universities, film festivals and community groups. The Digital Producer oversees the creation of our online library of ballet class resources, the development of our film projects and all licensing and streaming negotiations. Since 2021 we have won seven international awards for our film work. See our BBonFilm page for examples of our work

We are a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) supported through the Arts Council England, trusts and foundations, private donors and generous contributions from the public.

We aim to raise £300,000 each season to help us continue to support our brilliant and inspiring dancers, our new choreographic work, new digital film projects and the BB Junior School and Associate Programmes.

Your donation, WHATEVER size, can make a difference to the future of our Company, whether it’s £1 or £10,000! Any support you can offer will be greatly appreciated and put to very good use.

One way to support us is to become part of our Friends Circle. Please do GET IN TOUCH if you would like to discuss how you would like to support our work.

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Ballet Black Pointe Shoe Appeal

We also have a Pointe Shoe appeal running. Our dancers go through a LOT of shoes in a season: pointe shoes, coloured shoes, Jazz shoes and even high heels! Can you help us keep our dancers on their toes by making a contribution to the Ballet Black Shoe Appeal?

• £1000 will pay for one of our female artist’s pointe shoes for a whole season
• £500 will pay for leather or canvas shoes for one of our male artist’s for a whole season
• £40 will pay for one pair of pointe shoes for a female artist
• £20 will pay for a pair of canvas shoes for a male or female artist
• £10 will pay for ribbons, elastic and dyeing our shoes

Donate to pointe shoe appeal