Our Story
Black in The Ballroom
The first UK project championing equity and inclusion, supporting dancers of Black Heritage in Ballroom and Latin American Dance.
What is Black in The Ballroom?
Black in The Ballroom (BiTB) is the first UK project aimed at promoting equity and inclusion for dancers of Black Heritage in Ballroom and Latin American Dance.
Founded in October 2022 by professional dancer and UK Pro Champion, Oskar Odiakosa, in partnership with the TIRED Movement, BiTB sets out to tackle barriers to entry and encourage people of all backgrounds to take part in this beautiful art form, highlighting the specific need to encourage dancers of Black Heritage who are underrepresented. .
BiTB offers weekly classes, private lessons, coaching, mentoring and other dance services to children and adults from all backgrounds. BiTB is an inclusive space, open to anyone who believes in our mission and shares our ethos.
BiTB encourages teaching and celebrating the rich history and contribution of Black African, Caribbean, Latin and other Black communities to the world of Ballroom and Latin Dance, from the smooth sounds of the slow foxtrot to the scintillating rhythms of the samba.
If you'd like to know more or become part of the Black in The Ballroom experience, please get in touch with us.
“The more you move away from the roots of the dances, the more they start to lose their character.”
Len Goodman
Meet the Team
A brilliant, diverse and experienced team guiding us along our journey.
Oskar Odiakosa
Founder & Director
With over 19 years of competitive dance and teaching experience, Oskar is the Founder, Director and Head Coach at BiTB. Titles include: UK Pro Rhythm Champion, British Open Pro Rhythm Finalist, British National Pro Latin American Finalist, WADF World & European Artistic Latin Champion, SADF South African Open Latin Champion and Welsh Open Champion.
Oskar holds UKA Professional Licentiate Qualification, sits on the Executive Committee of the British Competitors Dancesport Corporation, and is a TIRED Movement Advisory Board Member. He starred in the BBC One documentary “Blackpool’s Dance Fever” and became the first ever Black sponsor for International Dance Shoes.
Roselyn Bunhu
Co-Director
Roselyn, “Ros”, is Co-Director of BiTB and the first ever BiTB parent. She responded to a social media post in 2020 and signed her then 4-year-old daughter up for lessons. Her daughter has since become a 4-time national UKA Finalist in Ballroom and Latin.
Ros supports the administrative side of BiTB including parental liaison, annual planning and producing the BiTB newsletter.
Lin Guo
Dance Coach
Lin grew up in China and moved to the UK to further her dance career, including obtaining a degree in contemporary dance. Titles include British National Professional Finalist and UK Open Ten Dance Finalist. Lin is passionate about diversity and the development of dance.
The TIRED Movement
Founding Partner
TIRED stands for “Trying to Improve Racial Equality in Dance”. Launched in 2020, TIRED are Co-Founders of BiTB. This movement aims to remove the fear of discussing racism amongst peers and colleagues and to ensure good practices within the dance industry are upheld.
TIRED encourages teachers of current and future generations to pay respect to the pioneers and celebrate the origins of dance influenced by Black culture. Learn more about The TIRED Movement.
