BALLET BLACK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Chairman of Ballet Black / Althea
Althea Efunshile CBE has had a 40 year career working primarily in the fields of education, the arts, and children & young people. She is also Chair of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing. Althea is passionate about social justice. She was Deputy Chief Executive of Arts Council England, and a senior civil servant in the Department for Education and Skills working in various director level roles all concerned with improving outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. She was Executive Director for Education and Culture at London Borough of Lewisham, and Assistant Director of Education at London Borough of Merton. Althea has previously been a Non-Executive Director of a number of organisations including University College London Hospitals; Channel 4; and Goldsmiths College. She began her career as a secondary school teacher.
Andrew Hochhauser is a KC at Essex Court Chambers and a Deputy High Court Judge. He specialises in commercial and employment litigation. He is a former Trustee of the V&A, Treasurer of the Hon Soc of Middle Temple in 2021, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Chair of Paintings in Hospitals, a Governor of the University of the Arts London, a Trustee of the National AIDS Trust and the V&A Foundation, a Director of Ensemble Plus Ultra and Chair of the Samuel Courtauld Trust and an ex officio member of the Board of the Courtauld Institute of Art. He is passionate about dance and was Chair of Dance Umbrella from 2007-2014 and thereafter a Governor of the Central School of Ballet. In 2011 he co-founded the Access to the Bar Awards at the Hon Society of Middle Temple to provide bursaries to encourage talented students from less privileged backgrounds to come to the Bar.
Anna Prag has worked for over 25 years in fundraising and grant-making roles across the not for profit, business and government sectors. She has worked with organisations from the European Commission, Plan International, to the Sainsburys Family Charitable Trust. Anna has volunteered since 2016 on the Red Cross' refugee support programme. She's a dance lover and sits on the Board of Ballet Black Company.
Job Titles:
- Artistic Director
- CEO
- Founder
Of Trinidadian and British parents, Cassa founded Ballet Black in 2001 after graduating from professional dance training and was one of the first dancers and choreographers in the Company. Her initial goal was to provide role models to young, aspiring Black and Asian dancers. A year later, she opened the BB Junior School in Shepherd's Bush. Cassa is a graduate of the 2009 National Theatre cultural leadership programme, Step Change. Since starting the Company, she has commissioned work from a wide range of choreographers, including Liam Scarlett, Richard Alston, Sophie Laplane, Javier de Frutos, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Shobana Jeyasingh, Henri Oguike, Arthur Pita, Will Tuckett and Mthuthuzeli November. Ballet Black has won both the Critics' Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Company in 2009, Best Independent Company in 2012 and Best Mid-Scale Company in 2022. Cassa was awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Years' Honours List for Services to Classical Ballet and has served as a judge on the panels of both the Kenneth Macmillan Choreographic and BBC Young Dancer competitions and the Arts Foundation Futures Dance Jury in 2022. She is a Patron of Central School of Ballet, Trustee of Scottish Ballet and a vice president of The London Ballet Circle. In 2017, Cassa and former BB dancer, Cira Robinson, collaborated with renowned British ballet shoe manufacturer, Freed of London, to create two brand new pointe shoe colours to enable dancers of Black and Asian descent to buy skin-tone pointe shoes ready-made. In 2018, Cassa was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. In 2020, she authored a guide for improving equity and access in ballet for dance schools and companies that has been widely shared in the arts world. She is a Board Member of Scottish Ballet, and serves on their Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee. Cassa also works as a consultant in EDI for several British dance organisations, including National Youth Ballet and the Elmhurst School of Ballet. In 2022, Cassa collaborated with the Ballet Black Company artists to create Say It Loud, a ballet to commemorate the Company's 20 th anniversary. This production won Best Dance Production at the 2022 Black British Theatre Awards and ‘Say It Loud' was short-listed for Best Dance Production at the 2023 South Bank Sky Arts Awards. To date, she has commissioned over 40 choreographers, to create over 60 new ballets for the Company. Cassa was named in the Arts section of the annual list of 100 influential Black Britons in the ‘Black excellence: The Powerlist 2023'. The lists aim is to celebrate the achievements of the most influential people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage in the UK. She teaches regularly for the BB Junior School in Shepherd's Bush, West London and has a degree from Durham University.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Scottish Ballet As Artistic Director
Christopher Hampson joined Scottish Ballet as Artistic Director in 2012 and was appointed Artistic Director / Chief Executive in 2015. He has created many award-winning works for major ballet companies throughout the world including, Scottish Ballet, Ballet Black, Atlanta Ballet and English National Ballet. In 2017 he curated the world's first Digital Season and produced numerous works for screen since. Beyond Scottish Ballet, Christopher has participated in TEDx Glasgow, and has developed and led the inaugural Young Rural Retreat for Aspiring Leaders, in association with Dance East. He is a co-founder of the International Ballet Masterclasses in Prague and has been a guest teacher for many major international companies. He is on the Board of both Ballet Black and Central School of Ballet and completed an MBA at Hult Ashridge Business School in 2019.
Ebony was born in London and started dancing at the age of 5 at the Kingston Ballet School run by Louise Jefferson. He joined The Royal Ballet School Junior Associates where he took classes for three years and was chosen to perform several times with The Royal Ballet Company. At the age of 11, he joined Elmhurst Ballet School where he had the opportunity to perform with Birmingham Royal Ballet and was featured in the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus DVDs. Ebony has also danced overseas at the Virginia Arts Festival in the USA. He has performed a wide variety of repertoire, including David Bintley's Argonauts, Sir Peter Wright's Coppélia and the Don Quixote pas de deux choreographed by Marius Petipa. He is delighted to be a member of Ballet Black, and since joining in 2017, has danced in ballets by Martin Lawrance, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa and Arthur Pita, and created roles in several BB works, including The Suit by Cathy Marston, Ingoma, WASHA, Like Water and The Waiting Game by Mthuthuzeli November, CLICK! choreographed by Sophie Laplane, Eightfold: RAGE by Joy Alpuerto Ritter, Then Or Now by Will Tuckett and Black Sun, created by Gregory Maqoma. In 2022, Ebony collaborated with Cassa Pancho and the Company to create Say It Loud, a celebration of BB's 20th anniversary. He was promoted to Senior Artist for the 2022/23 season.
Born in San Juan Puerto Rico where she grew up with music and her native dance bomba y plena. At the age of seven, Helga and her family moved to Cincinnati Ohio where began training at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. From 2008 to 2016, she studied tap, musical theatre, and classical ballet. Helga participated in Summer Intensive programs and received merit scholarship awards across the states including American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet. In 2016 Helga was scouted by Julie Kent, former principal ballerina and Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet, to attend The Washington School of Ballet pre-professional training program and trainee program. She was promoted in 2018 to TWB's Studio Company and performed various roles within the company's repertoire including; George Balanchine's Allegro Brillante, Julie Kent's Sleeping Beauty, and works by Johnathan Heginbotham. Helga was commissioned in 2020 to choreograph a ballet and direct a film on The Washington Ballet for their new works, Season of Joy programme. She has since created multiple works for the Company and School. Helga joined Cassa Pancho's Ballet Black for their 2022/23 season as a Junior Artist.
Isabela was born in Brazil and began her vocational training at the Centro De Dança Rio. She has taken part in many festivals and competitions, including the Joinville Festival and Youth America Grand Prix. As a professional, Isabela has danced with Project Deborah Colker, São Paulo Companhia de Dança, Ballet Jovem do Rio de Janeiro, Companhia Brasileira de Ballet and has toured Russia extensively. She has danced in many classics: Don Quixote, Raymonda, Swan Lake, and Serenade, as well as modern works and the Carnival parades in Brazil as a dancer. In 2009, Isabela was featured in the documentary, Only When I Dance, directed by Beaide Finzi. Isabela joined Ballet Black as a Junior Artist in 2013 dancing in works by Christopher Marney, Javier de Frutos and Martin Lawrance. In 2014, Isabela created the role of Puck in A Dream Within a Midsummer Night's Dream by Arthur Pita and danced in Martin Lawrance's ballet, Limbo. In 2015, she was promoted to Senior Artist and created the role of The Maiden in Mark Bruce's production of Second Coming. In 2016 Isabela was featured in ballets by Christopher Marney and danced the role of Burlesque Dancer and Lulu White in Storyville by Christopher Hampson. In 2017, Isabela was a featured dancer in Martin Lawrance's Captured and created the role of Mother in Red Riding Hood by Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa. In 2018, she created roles in Cathy Marston's The Suit and reprised her role as Puck in BB's 2018 re-staging of Dream. Between 2019 and 2021, Isabela danced in new works both live and on film by Sophie Laplane, Mthuthuzeli November, Hope Boykin, Will Tuckett and Martin Lawrance. In 2022, she created roles in Black Sun by Gregory Maqoma, and collaborated with Cassa Pancho and the Company to create Say It Loud, a celebration of BB's 20th anniversary. Isabela is an Ambassador for Gaynor Minden, teaches for the BB Junior Associates, online ballet classes and workshops as a guest teacher. In 2021 Isabela became a Ballet Be Fit instructor and launched FredaBela a new collection of Ballet Skirts as a creative designer in collaboration with FredaSilk. In 2022, Isabela received an award from the Black Cultural Archive as one of the 40×40 Black Future Young Leaders for 2023.
Cassa Pancho's Ballet Black continues to provide the UK with a volume of new and exciting choreographic works. Commissioning from a wealth of diverse talent, the Company is seen both as a platform for great artistic direction and as a means to assist the development and raise the profile of all culturally diverse dancers.
Job Titles:
- Media & Special Projects Producer
- Special Projects & Media Producer
Cassa Pancho's Ballet Black continues to provide the UK with a volume of new and exciting choreographic works. Commissioning from a wealth of diverse talent, the Company is seen both as a platform for great artistic direction and as a means to assist the development and raise the profile of all culturally diverse dancers.
Originally from Chicago, Megan trained at Chicago MultiCultural Dance Centre under Homer Hans Brant and attended Chicago High School for the Arts. She graduated from Point Park University where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Business Management. While at Point Park, Megan had the opportunity to perform works by choreographers such as Christopher Wheeldon, Jessica Lang, Jae Man Joo, and many more, as well as perform principal roles in Swan Lake, Raymonda, and Cinderella. In 2021, she joined Madison Ballet and performed works by Yusha Marie-Sorzano, Kia Smith and Marika Brussel. She also got to perform ballets, including Birthday Variations, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Paquita, and The Nutcracker.
Job Titles:
- Second Year Apprentice Artist
Born in Cape Town, South Africa. Mikayla is RAD and Cecchetti-trained, and trained with Nicolette Loxton under Cape Town Junior Ballet, and Martin Schonberg. In 2017, she joined Cape Town City Ballet and has performed principal roles in the Nutcracker, Carmen, Concerto Barocco, Giselle and Les Sylphides. Some career highlights have included working alongside Kenneth Tindall's Polarity, Elke Scheepers's Falling Angels, and Mthuthuzeli November's Ingoma. In 2021, she was awarded for outstanding performances in the latter two works. In 2023, she was awarded for Excellence in multiple roles throughout 2022. During lockdown, she took part in BBC's Swan Lake Bath Ballet. She joins Cassa Pancho's Ballet Black as a Second Year Apprentice for the 2023/24 season.
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Mthuthu started dancing at the age of 15 with the outreach programme, Dance For All. In 2011 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Cape Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA), where he graduated with a Distinction. Mthuthu won a gold medal in the Contemporary category in the South Africa International Ballet Competition as a Junior in 2012, and a Senior in 2014. He has worked with Cape Dance Company under the direction of Debbie Turner, with choreographers including Bradley Shelver and Christopher Huggins. Mthuthu created his debut choreographic work in 2014 on the Cape Dance Company Junior Company. In 2015 he travelled to the UK to dance with Central School of Ballet's third year touring company, Ballet Central, performing all over the country. He danced in a South African production of West Side Story before joining Ballet Black as First Year Apprentice in September 2015 and was promoted to Junior Artist in 2016 where he created roles in Arthur Pita's Cristaux and Christopher Hampson's Storyville. He made his first ballet for Ballet Black, Interrupted in July 2016. Mthuthu was awarded South Africa's Emerging Artist prize at Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees for his solo work. In 2017 he was a lead dancer in the revival of Martin Lawrance's Captured and created the role of The Wolf in Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa's Red Riding Hood. Between 2019 and 2022, he has created roles in works by Martin Lawrance, Will Tuckett and Gregory Maqoma, and collaborated with Cassa Pancho and the Company to create Say It Loud, a celebration of BB's 20th anniversary in 2022. In 2017, Mthuthu was commissioned by the Cape Dance Company to create a new work, funded by the National Arts Council of South Africa, which premiered at Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. In 2018, Mthuthu created a solo for Precious Adams of English National Ballet, for the Emerging Dancer competition. In 2019, Ballet Black commissioned him to create Ingoma, his first UK main stage work that has toured the UK and Europe that won both the Olivier Award and a Black British Theatre Award for Best Dance Production. This was followed by WASHA: The Burn From The Inside (a co-commission between Ballet Black, The Grange Festival and Studio Wayne McGregor). He also created and danced in a pas de deux for Ballet Black's appearance with British Grime artist, Stormzy for Glastonbury 2019, and was promoted to Senior Artist in 2020. During the pandemic, he created Ballet Black's first short film, Like Water, which went on to win seven film awards. In 2021 his postponed live work for Ballet Black, The Waiting Game, was staged in the UK. He has created ballets for Cape Town Opera, Cape Town City Ballet, The Grange Festival, further commissions for English National Ballet's Emerging Dancer Competition, Northern Ballet, Tanz Ensemble for Luzerner Theater, Ballet Central and Rambert School. For film he created My Mother's Son for Fall For Dance North and Burn From the Inside for Ballet Black.
Following a 20 year career in investment banking and financial communications, Patricia is an avid champion of conscientious capitalism and social change. She now helps social enterprises attract private capital and advises funders on their responsible investment strategies through her consultancy Integriti Capital. She also advocates for access to funding for diverse entrepreneurs as co-founder of Extend Ventures and access to philanthropic capital as co-founder of Black Funding Network. Patricia is a Trustee of Theatre Royal Stratford East, of NFL UK Foundation, Social Enterprise UK, Areté Network and International House New York. She is also on the Advisory Board of Money A+E and Shaw Trust Foundation as well as a member of Women in Social Finance.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Treasurer of the Board of Trustees
Tonye Vianana is a Chartered Accountant with a near 20-year career working in strategic finance. Currently she is Finance Director for a global membership association focused on values-driven investing worldwide. She has worked as a Finance Director for a start-up consultancy firm supporting the process of securing government funding for innovative firms. She was a Group Head Accountant for Green Deal Finance Group, a government-backed firm aimed at providing finance to homeowners for energy-saving home improvements. A ballet devotee, Tonye worked as Company Accountant for English National Ballet where she also focused on transforming systems and processes. Tonye has experience in designing and implementing fundraising strategies, working with donors, corporates, foundations and philanthropists. She also serves as a trustee for a start-up charity, The JUMP that works with communities to make key changes for sustainability and climate change.
Tunde Banjoko is a societal change advocate, and the founder of multiple initiatives that are trying to help make the world a fairer place, initiatives like the social mobility charity Making The Leap, the UK Social Mobility Awards and Black Charity Leaders. He has 30 years' experience of running a grassroots organisation and is known as an inspiring and convincing public speaker who has engaged with a number of senior business leaders to proudly talk about diversity. Tunde is qualified as an Executive Coach, provides consultancy to businesses who wish to make advances on race equity within their walls, and is the Chair of an education charity set up to give small grants in the name of his late younger sister. He has an MSc in Urban Regeneration from UCL and was awarded an OBE in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours List.