Happy Black History Month! 🎉
This October, we are celebrating Black History Month in collaboration with the TIRED Movement and Black in the Ballroom. We want to celebrate the extraordinary contributions of Black dancers to Ballroom and Latin dance styles. 🕺🏽💃🏽
From the African roots of Samba and Rumba to pioneers like Frankie Manning revolutionizing Lindy Hop, Black dancers have shaped the rhythm of Ballroom. Despite facing challenges, they’ve broken barriers and infused “Blackness” into these global dance forms.
The concept of “Blackness” in Latin American dance refers to the African cultural elements that have been retained and transformed in these dance styles. This includes not just movement vocabulary, but also rhythms, music, and cultural values.
Are you ready to honour this legacy and shape the future? Join Black in the Ballroom, the UK’s first project increasing racial diversity in Ballroom and Latin dance! Led by @odiako.co and @movementtired, BiTB offers weekly classes for ages 4-18, welcoming dancers from all backgrounds.
While celebrating this rich heritage, it’s also essential to focus on creating more inclusive spaces in the dance community and dance industry. One significant step towards inclusivity is ensuring that dancers of all skin tones can access dancewear that truly matches their complexion. Traditional “nude” dancewear often caters only to lighter, paler skin tones, so that’s why we created Shades Dancewear!
For Black, Brown and Mixed-Race dancers, having easy access to skin tone dancewear is a matter of visibility and representation, as well as respect. Wearing dancewear that truly matches your skin tone contributes to increased confidence which translates onto the dance floor, allowing all dancers to focus on their performance without distractions and feelings of being uncomfortable. For dancers of all ages, wearing skin tone appropriate dancewear enhances both the dancer’s experience and their expression!
This Black History Month, let’s not only honour the past but shape the future. Initiatives such as Black in the Ballroom are actively increasing racial diversity in Ballroom and Latin dance, offering a safe space for young Black dancers to thrive and truly reach their potential.
Let’s celebrate, honour, and dance into a more inclusive future together!
