As highlighted in Stormzy’s Glastonbury set this weekend, dancers of colour now have dance shoes to match their skin tones
Ballet Black, a London-based ballet company that highlights dancers of black and Asian descent, has collaborated with shoemaker Freed to create the UK’s first pointe shoes in colours to match black and mixed-race skin tones. The new shoes come in two versions: bronze and brown.
Previously, shoes only came in white and peachy-pink options, so dancers of colour had to paint them themselves in order to match their skin tone.
The development was highlighted in a set by UK grime artist Stormzy at Glastonbury festival this weekend, in which he became the first black British solo artist to headline the Pyramid Stage. During his headline set on Friday night, dancers from Ballet Black joined him on stage for a moving performance.
“As a former ballet student who felt the racism of the ballet world as a teenager I fully appreciated that beautiful moment Stormzy created for #Glastonbury”, tweeted one viewer.
Dancing into the future: Ballet Black
Images: Freed/Ballet Black
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