Kenya: From Slums to Ballet, Pirouette Through Dance
Agencies – Sudan Events
Bravian Mise is part of a troupe of around a hundred children, supported by Dance Centre Kenya (DCK), who have been rehearsing Tchaikovsky’s ballet, The Nutcracker, for months.
The famous ballet tells the story of young Clara who, one Christmas Eve, is given an inanimate puppet, a nutcracker. During the night, the toys come to life and the nutcracker is transformed into a prince.
It’s important to show the world that ballet is not just for one type of person. Ballet is about talent, passion, not socio-economic background,” says Cooper Rust.
“We don’t have a professional ballet company in Kenya”, she laments, before quickly adding: “For the moment, but we’re getting there”.
The young troupe made up of around a hundred children aged between 7 and 17, performs in Nairobi’s national theatre. The ballet required hundreds of costumes and props.
For almost two hours, the children performed one after the other on stage, accompanied by live music played by a Kenyan orchestra. And the audience is captivated, particularly during the performance of the famous Russian dance.
