Considering these challenging times and in light of recent events in America, BalletBoyz has taken time to reflect, and we do not want to remain silent. We have been provided with a focused moment, a pause to consider where we stand in terms of our procedures and decisions.

There is an imbalance and we must play our part in redressing it. The challenge is to achieve this without discrimination and without tokenism, without defining anyone by their characteristics. We will ensure that we continue to invite a broad group of dancers, choreographers, composers and designers, producers, administrators, teachers and students to join us.

The current fear of getting it wrong, of saying the wrong thing reminds us of the power of privilege, a powerful reminder of what it feels like when your voice isn’t heard. It is our responsibility to listen to all the voices currently expressing a variety of important views and truths that are sometimes difficult to hear. As a company that’s actively creating, producing and performing to a wide audience, we need to find the path that enables us to achieve equity, diversity and inclusion for all our colleagues, one where we can have open and frank discussions about difficult topics, where all who work with us feel supported and heard, and one where the opportunities that we can offer are open equally to all. 

The circumstances are appalling and tragic, but we are grateful for the reminder and the opportunity to redouble our efforts. We strive to get the balance right in our pursuit of a varied and representative dance company.