Why don't they make shoes for black ballet dancers?

The world of ballet has long been criticised for
having a problem with diversity. But could one
small quirk be a symbol of the barriers facing
non-white dancers, asks Kirstie Brewer.

Ballet dancer Eric Underwood was on tour last
summer in the south of Italy when he had finally
had enough.
He's black, and as a soloist for the Royal Ballet
often needs to wear flesh-coloured shoes for his
performances. But walk into a ballet store and the
only options are beiges and pinks. There is usually
nothing for non-white ballet dancers.
"Instead I have to 'pancake' my shoes with make-
up before I can go on stage," explains the 31-year-
old American. "It's a messy process that can take
as long as half an hour at a time, and I need to
repeat it regularly because the colour rubs off
during performances."
The pancaking ritual proved to be a particular
headache in Italy - with the heat, and the
inconvenience of carting around enough make-
up. Underwood uses shoes for up to four days
but many dancers get only a single performance
before discarding them. That's a lot of pancaking.


Source: BBC