The Black British Ballet project aims to produce a suite of resources to document the history and experiences of Black dancers and choreographers in British ballet in the last century. This will include international professionals working in British ballet companies, as well as British professionals working abroad. For the purposes of this project, we are focusing on individuals from the African diaspora whether they be from the Caribbean, South America, the US or Africa.

The project is based on the PhD work of Dr Sandie Mae Bourne, whose field of research specialises in the historic underrepresentation of black professionals in British ballet institutions. Since completing her PhD in 2017, she has been published in Dance Research’s Book Review – Halifu Osumare ‘Dancing in Blackness: A Memoir’, 2019; Narratives in Black British Dance, 2018; and Identity and Choreographic Practice, 2018.

We are delighted to partner with The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet in this project and are in the process of securing funding to deliver this important work.