Black in The Ballroom #BiTB

‘Black in the Ballroom’ aims to inspire  people of Black origin from all ages to take up Ballroom dancing as a hobby, as a competitive activity and/or as a career, by providing them an entry into the scene, an understanding of the basic and technical fundamentals of each dance style and an opportunity to perform and compete.

Currently less than 1% of competitors across the Juvenile, Junior, Amateur and Professional fields within the Ballroom and Latin American competitive dancing circuit in the UK are Black. With 4 out of the 5 Latin American Dance disciplines being of Black origin, this is significant underrepresentation.

Since the launch on 8th October 2022, Black in The Ballroom has held free weekly dance classes in South East London, open to everyone though with emphasis on diversity. 

The events and outcomes we are most proud of are:

• 8 of our students entering their first dance examinations in December 2022 and passing on first attempt with a Highly Commended Grade
• 5 of our students taking part in a local medallist competition, competing against dancers from other schools. 2 of these students made the grand finals in their events 
• An invitation for our students to take part in a competition run by 2 x ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ champion, Oti Mabuse
• What makes us most proud is the students commitment and dedication to their passion of dance 

Our students have accomplished a lot in less than one year because the opportunity was made available to them, imagine what they could achieve if we continue to provide them this opportunity with the support of funding!

You can find our journey on instagram: @blackintheballroom