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This week's guest:

In 2018, brown and bronze pointe shoes, tailored for dancers of colour, made their commercial debut in the UK — nearly two centuries after the introduction of pink ones. The delay begs the questions: Why? Who paved the way? What were dancers of colour doing before then? And how has the landscape changed since? Join us as we dive into these questions with Cassa Pancho, the trailblazing founder of Ballet Black, a company committed to carving out space for dancers of colour in classical ballet.

In today’s episode, we discuss:  

• The question that sparked the idea for Ballet Black 
• Ballet Black’s role in changing what ballet repertoire looks like
• Cassa’s feedback on early prototypes of the brown pointe shoes
• The reaction to the launch of the shoes

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About Cassa Pancho: 

Born to Trinidadian and British parents, Cassa Pancho launched Ballet Black in 2001 after graduating from professional dance training. Her initial goal was to provide role models to young, aspiring Black and Asian dancers. Ballet Black won the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Company in 2009 and Best Mid-Scale Company in 2022. Cassa was awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Years’ Honours List for Services to classical ballet. To date, she has commissioned over 40 choreographers to create over 60 new ballets for Ballet Black.

Learn more about Ballet Black

Website: https://balletblack.co.uk

Follow Ballet Black on Instagram: @originalballetblack

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