Black dancer’s ‘humiliation’ at racist comments, Nigerian boy to join ballet theatre in US

Chloé Lopes Gomes says she has faced racial harassment while being a ballet dancer.

The French performer is the first black female dancer at Berlin’s principal ballet company Staatsballett.

Ms Gomes claims she was told she did not fit in because of her skin colour, and was asked to wear white make-up so she would “blend in” with the other dancers.

The company has responded by saying her allegation “deeply moves us” and an internal investigation is under way into racism and discrimination at Staatsballett.

Meanwhile, Nigerian ballet dancer Anthony Mmesoma Madu gets scholarship following viral video.

Already, the eleven-year-old has received multiple scholarships from around the world to pursue his passion. One of those scholarships came from the prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in the US.

As Anthony prepares to embark on a journey of a lifetime in 2021, he talked about how things have changed for him.

The male ballet dancer has an added role in the sport beyond dance: ‘Male ballet dancers aren’t just there to look pretty’ Ruaidhri Maguire, a professional male ballet dancer from Moneymore, County Londonderry has commented.

Male ballet dancers face stereotypes irrespective of the colour of their skins. Ruaidhri says he wants to break the stereotypes about male ballet dancers and show that there’s a true athleticism in dance.

Ruaidhri, a soloist with the Baltic Opera Ballet in Poland, spends six days a week in the gym to keep up with his intense training regimes.

“There’s a true strength behind it and there’s a true rawness to being a male ballet dancer,” he said.