Experience "Spirits", a closing scene from The Trickster - an innovative contemporary -ballet folk story, performed at the KitFest at the Kenya National Theatre , Nairobi November 2024-2025
Developed during a 5-day intensive dance workshops, supported by the British Council and KITFEST25

Ballet Soul's mission is to change the perceptions of ballet, whilst delivering work that prioritises high standards and excellence. We showcase innovative work created with ballet dancers from black and ethnically diverse backgrounds. Through outreach and educational work we aim to leave a legacy that nurtures the next generation of dancers and audiences.

Ballet bellongs to everyone

Our story began with one dancer who refused to accept that excellence in ballet should be limited by background ,race or expectation.

Founded by Ben Love, Ballet Soul was created to callenge perceptions of classical ballet while celebrating the richness of African heritage, contemporary movement and diverse cultural stories. Inspired by a journey that began in Nairobi, Kenya, and continued in the United Kingdom,
Ballet Soul has become a home for artists who dare to imagine something different

We honour the discipline and beauty of classical ballet while embracing the rhyhms, traditions and storyelling of Afican and global cultures, Every production is an invitation to see ballet through a new lens - powerful, expressiv, athletic and deeply human

Our work is about more than performance .

It is about creating opportunities.
It is about building a future where talent is recognised before stereotypes.

From intimate theatres to international collaborations, Ballet Soul continues to push artistic boundaries,education programmes and community engagement.We create work that speaks to audiences of every background

This is not simply a ballet company.

It is a movement

BEN LOVE

Ben Love, the founder of Ballet Soul, was born in Nairobi, Kenya but moved to the UK as a child and grew up in Nottingham. Ben was 15 when a performance by The Dance Theatre of Harlem inspired him to begin his training in dance.

Ben made his professional debut with Dancers Anonymous at the Edinburgh Festival in 1990. He was then invited to join as a soloist with the Portuguese National Ballet, Lisbon, touring extensively in Portugal and Brazil. Ben also danced as a soloist with the London City Ballet and then with the Northern Ballet. During his time as a soloist, Ben danced many principal roles including The Rite of Spring, Scheherazade, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker and Raymonda.