We were delighted to host an event at English National Ballet in October to introduce the project.
Appearing on the night were:
Ben Love, founder of Ballet Soul in South London who made his professional debut with Dancers Anonymous at the Edinburgh Festival in 1990. He was then invited to join as a soloist with the Portuguese National Ballet, Lisbon, touring extensively in Portugal and Brazil. Ben also danced as a soloist with the London City Ballet and then with the Northern Ballet.
Brenda Garratt-Glassman, the first black student at the Royal Ballet Upper School, where she studied from 1971 to 1973. After her training, Garratt-Glassman joined Dance Theatre of Harlem. After an illustrious career in ballet and theatre in the US and the UK, Brenda took over the Joyce Butler School of Dance in West London with Vanessa Hoskins-McTaggart.
Shevelle Dynott, who began his dance career after he was spotted by scouts for The Royal Ballet ‘Chance to Dance’ scheme. In 1997, he was the first black child to attend the Royal Ballet School, and was accepted on the Royal Ballet School’s Junior Associates programme. Upon completing his training in 2005, Dynott joined the English National Ballet as a company artist.
Tamara Rojo, CBE, Artistic Director and Lead Principal at English National Ballet. Tamara won a Gold Medal at the Paris International Dance Competition and a Special Jury Award. Within six months of joining English National Ballet, Tamara was promoted to Principal, and went on to dance the full range of the Company’s principal roles.