Young dancers from the Joburg Ballet School backstage at the Soweto Theatre during their year-end performance in Soweto, South Africa.
Ballet was introduced to South Africa during European colonial rule. During apartheid, the ability to pursue it professionally depended on funding from government-subsidized arts boards, which were only accessible to white communities. Today, the Joburg Ballet School offers training to children from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, operating locations in Soweto, Alexandra, and Braamfontein since 2012.
“We have seen that there is so much talent that these kids have, but they don’t have access to classical ballet training. So providing access is the vision for why the schools were created,” says Keke Chele, the head of Joburg Ballet School. For ten-year-old student Sabelo, dance has a simple appeal: “Somehow it makes me feel like myself.” Parents describe seeing their children learn ballet as something they never thought possible.
Some graduates have gone on to dance internationally, while teachers note that training develops concentration, discipline, and confidence in all students.
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