Dreams of Paris for Soweto’s All Black Ballet

A group of dancers in Soweto are defying stereotypes to bring ballet to the township… in an ambitious project which aims to train 1,000 teachers over the following three years and see its students dance at the Paris Opera within the next decade.

The project – which is the brainchild of Dirk Badenhorst, head of the South African International Ballet Competition – is showcased on AJ+ (Al Jazeera). See the trailer below.

According to AJ+ “for decades in South Africa, classical dance was reserved for the white minorities. Now, these black ballerinas are dancing for equality.” And they’re being helped by an awesome Cuban teacher, Maria de Torguet.

De Torguet says she begins by teaching them the basics, and the importance of concentration and love. “Everything that is done with love succeeds,” she says.

One student, Mmule Mokgele, explains she wanted to study ballet when she was growing up “but we couldn’t because there was no ballet in townships.”

In the afternoon the students become teachers, teaching what they’ve learnt in the morning and bringing happiness and inspiration to young pupils in Soweto.

Badenhorst says the point of the programme is to “find the ballerinas of the future. And so I would love in eight years or 10 years, a young kid from this project to land up in the Paris Opera.”

Watch Video: Dancing for Equality

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