How black women in ballet have helped me find my stride

Change is slowly coming. As reflected by the peach nude tights, bodysuits and slippers, smooth buns more suited to long straight hair, and societal internalisation of pseudo-scientific messaging that artistic sports were not suitable for BME girls' bodies - it's clear that the world of classical ballet has a representation problem. Tofunmi Odugbemi was one of many young black girls who felt wholly underrepresented and unwelcomed by the ballet community. However, here she discusses how the likes of celebrated dancers like Michaela DePrince, Arthur Mitchel and Misty Copeland exposed her to the black ballet community, cementing her understanding of the erasure of young BME people and reigniting her passion for the art.