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, Oskar Odiakosa, in partnership with the TIRED Movement, BiTB sets out to tackle the barriers to entry that may discourage people from taking part in this beautiful art form.
BiTB offer weekly classes, private lessons 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, right from the smooth rich sounds of the slow foxtrot, to the scintillating rhythms of the samba!
“The more you move away from the roots of the dances, the more they start to lose their character!“ – Len Goodman.
Interested in joining our classes? find out more:
Oskar Odiakosa – Founder and Director
Oskar is the Founder, Director and Head Coach at BiTB. With over 18 years of competitive dance and teaching experience, Oskar noticed the lack of representation of Black dancers in Ballroom dance from an early age and decided to make a change. Driven by passion and dedication, Oskar set up Black in The Ballroom whilst continuing his own dance career.
Dance is taking Oskar throughout the UK and the world, sweeping up various, impressive titles so far, including:
- WADF World & European Artistic Latin Champion
- SADF South African Open Latin Champion
- British National Professional Finalist
- Welsh Open Champion and Finalist
- South of England Championship Finalist
Other notable achievements include:
- UKA Professional Licentiate Qualification in Ballroom and Latin American Dance
- Executive Committee Member of the British Competitors Dancesport Corporation
- Star of BBC One documentary “Blackpool’s Dance Fever”
- The first ever Black sponsor for the prestigious International Dance Shoes Brand
- TIRED Movement Advisory Board Member
Roselyn Bunhu – Co-Director
Roselyn, ‘Ros’ is the Co-Director of Black in The Ballroom and the first ever BiTB parent!
Ros responded to a social media post in 2020 and swiftly signed her then 4-year old daughter up for dance lessons, taking on the role of ‘Dance Mum’.
Noticing her daughters aptitude for dance, Ros signed her up for weekly classes and private lessons. Since then, Ros is the proud mother of a 4-time national UKA Finalist in Ballroom and Latin.
Ros recognised the importance of BiTB, without which she may never have had a way in to the world of ballroom dance and give her daughter the opportunity to thrive!
With a keen eye for detail and organisation, Ros supports the administrative side of BiTB including parental support, annual planning and producing our BiTB newsletter.
Lin Guo – Dance Coach
Lin is one of our BiTB dance coaches.
Lin grew up in China and came to the UK to further her dance career, including obtaining a degree in contemporary dance.
Ballroom and Latin dance is Lin’s first love and has seen her pick up impressive titles, including:
- British National Professional Finalist
- UK Open Ten Dance Finalist
Lin is passionate about diversity and development of dance.
The TIRED Movement
TIRED stands for “Trying to Improve Racial Equality in Dance”.
TIRED launched in 2020 and are Co Founders of BiTB with Oskar, who connected with them in April 2022 and was subsequently invited to sit on the Advisory Board.
This movement aims to remove the fear of discussing racism amongst peers and colleagues and to ensure that good practices within the dance industry are adhered to.
They encourage teachers of current and future generations to pay respect to the pioneers and celebrate the origins of dance that were influenced by black culture.
To find out more about The TIRED Movement – visit their website here.
