Royal Ballet School announces change to uniform policy

Following its recent statement in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, The Royal Ballet School is to change its uniform for full-time and Associate students.

From September 2020, female students can choose to wear in class either traditional ballet pink tights and shoes, or matching ballet tights and shoes in a colour to match their skin tone if preferred.

Christopher Powney, Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet School, said:

‘We are totally committed to ensuring that every student and member of staff in our community is valued equally. As part of this commitment, we reviewed our uniform policy and listened very carefully to the feedback we have received on the subject. We feel this important change to our uniform requirements is essential to ensure the School is an inclusive place for everyone.

‘There is more to be done, but we hope this step signals our determination to follow promises with tangible, meaningful actions’.

This change is part of a much wider programme of actions announced earlier this month and listed in the School’s statement in response to Black Lives Matter. These include an anonymous reporting system for instances of racist behaviour and micro-aggressions, compulsory training for staff in unconscious bias, and diversity monitoring for the programme of invited guest speakers and choreographers.

The School is consulting further with its own community and external ‘critical friends’ on these issues, to ensure the best possible environment for students and staff of all backgrounds.

You can stay up to date with the School’s progress on this initiative through the news webpages, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.