New exhibition celebrates ballet’s Black pioneers
The previously unrecognised contributions of Britain’s Black ballet dancers will be showcased publicly for the first time in a new touring exhibition. Supported by a grant of £245,500 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Into the Light: Pioneers of Black British Ballet will utilise archival photographs, film footage, newspaper articles, and posters, complemented by contemporary video and audio interviews, to explore the history of Black British ballet from the 1940s to the present day.
Marsha Lowe, Director of Oxygen Arts
This exhibition is an important step in giving our Black British pioneers the recognition they deserve, bringing their challenges and achievements to a much wider audience. But we want to go further, to change the perception of ballet by diversifying ballet audiences and encouraging the next generation of young black dancers to see ballet as ‘for them
A distinguished collaboration between Oxygen Arts and Libraries Connected, the official membership organisation for public libraries, will facilitate an exhibition tour across twenty-five library venues. The tour will commence in Stockport and Redbridge this October and is scheduled to continue until February 2026.
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
We are delighted to support this project, which thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, will mean that more people will be able to get involved with, protect, and learn about the exciting heritage right on their doorstep. Heritage has a huge role to play in instilling pride in communities and boosting local economies, and this project is a fantastic example of achieving those aims.
Highlights include an interview with a member of Europe’s first Black dance company Les Ballets Nègres, formed by Jamaicans Berto Pasuka and Richard Riley in 1946. Other prominent dancers featured include Brenda Garratt-Glassman, the first Black British student at the Royal Ballet Upper School, and Darren Panton, the first Black British student at the Royal Ballet boarding school.
Isobel Hunter, Chief Executive of Libraries Connected, said:
Public libraries, with their diverse audience base and commitment to democratising culture, are the perfect venue for this groundbreaking exhibition. There has never been a better time to celebrate the achievements of these Black British pioneers; it’s hugely exciting to see their stories brought to life in this way.
In the 1970s, as Black British dancers began to pursue formal training within prominent ballet institutions, students such as Garratt-Glassman and Julie Felix received indications from UK establishments that employment opportunities might be limited due to their racial backgrounds.
During this period, many individuals of colour pursuing dance, including nearly all black dancers, found it necessary to seek employment opportunities abroad, with the Dance Theatre of Harlem being a particularly notable destination.
It was not until the mid-1980s that Black dancers began to gain recognition within established British ballet companies; however, progress continued to be incremental. In response, initiatives such as The Royal Ballet’s Chance to Dance and Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Dance Track They were established in 1991 and 1997 respectively, with the aim of providing children from a variety of backgrounds with greater opportunities to participate in ballet training.
The exhibition features Shevelle Dynott, the inaugural participant from Chance to Dance to advance into a professional ballet career with the English National Ballet.
Despite ongoing initiatives, Oxygen Arts estimates that less than 3% of dancers currently engaged with the three largest ballet companies in the United Kingdom identify as being from a Black British background. Furthermore, it is observed that certain senior professionals within the ballet community continue to support all-white corps offerings, as well as representations involving blackface and culturally insensitive portrayals of diverse global traditions in productions such as Petrushka and La Bayadère.
The exhibition will be accompanied by performances of Island Movements, an original Windrush-themed ballet. Additionally, the programme will feature dance, writing, and photography workshops, alongside engaging talks and panel discussions. There will also be a virtual exhibition curated by Birmingham Open Media, which will showcase a motion capture ballet performance.
Into the Light: Pioneers of Black British Ballet is a project grounded in the research conducted by Dr Sandie Bourne, a distinguished dancer, choreographer, and academic specialising in the historical under-representation of Black artists within British ballet institutions.
The Black British Ballet project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Arts Council England, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Windrush Day Fund and the Black Funding Network. It is delivered in partnership with English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Royal Academy of Dance, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Central School of Ballet and Kidbrooke Community Hub.