It has been such a simple change to make, with the potential for a big impact, it’s hard to believe we haven’t had these fundamental options for our young dancers until now. Making sure that our uniform includes a range of tights and shoes to match all skin tones has been a hugely positive step forward, which has been celebrated by our young dancers and their parents and allows everyone to feel truly welcome.

Kerry Livingstone, Head of Associate Programme

Providing the right dancewear for all our dancers is just one small step in a company-wide commitment to guarantee greater diversity and inclusion for all, across the artform. In 2020, Scottish Ballet established an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) committee to encourage more company members to feel brave and empowered to make actionable change. The committee discuss and make recommendations on how Scottish Ballet can continue to confront discrimination beyond the nine protected characteristics, which include age, disability and race.

Scottish Ballet must be a welcoming space for all. To do this, the company is driving anti-racism within the dance industry, especially ballet, and engages with a wide range of partner organisations who are committed to breaking down barriers to access. This is going to be a lasting legacy which will benefit us all

Christopher Hampson, CEO/Artistic Director

‘Global majority’ is the term for ethnic groups which constitute approximately 85 percent of the global population. Inequality for global majority dancers doesn’t stop at dancewear for students in training. Disparities also include a pay gap, a lack of career security, continuous barriers to professional success, feeling unsafe in the workplace and harassment. Ballet Black founder and now Scottish Ballet Board member, Cassa Pancho MBE, has been a critical friend to CEO & Artistic Director Christopher Hampson for over 20 years and she supports him in his leadership of the EDI committee.

Cassa created Ballet Black in 2001 to provide opportunities to Black and Asian dancers, with the goal that one day the company would no longer have to exist. This year, Cassa talked openly with Scottish Ballet company dancers about her experiences of racism as she progressed through her dance training and the founding of her company.

Our dancers want to support global majority colleagues. Listening to Cassa speak about how it made her feel to overhear racist comments from peers, for dance teachers to make uneducated assumptions about her physicality and the struggle to find role models, resonated with them. As a company, we are developing an understanding that people who experience racism carry this as trauma, directly, and consistently, impacting on their confidence, self-belief and wellbeing.

Catherine Cassidy, Director of Organisational Culture & Engagement

Whilst this work is a journey and something that will be ongoing, Scottish Ballet are working to build anti-racism into their daily working practices in a way that benefits everyone engaging with the organisation.

Rey Dosaj, EDJI Arts Founder

A special and heartfelt thank you to Bently Foundation who have been unwavering in their support for the company in establishing, implementing and delivering the anti-racism training — from the Board through to our Leadership Team, dancers and support teams. By developing an understanding and awareness we can ensure Scottish Ballet continues to become a welcoming and relevant space for all.