Members of Dance Centre Kenya wait backstage before performing during their 10th-anniversary annual ballet production, The Nutcracker, at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi on Dec 6. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP
Bravian Mise, 14, practices a series of long leaps and pirouettes in the narrow living room of his tin-roofed house in a slum in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The boy has taken up classical dance in the hope of one day becoming a professional. Bravian is part of a troupe supported by Dance Centre Kenya who has been rehearsing Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Nutcracker, for months.
The famous ballet tells the story of young Clara who, on one Christmas Eve, is given a nutcracker doll. At night, the toys come to life and the nutcracker transforms into a prince.
Members of Dance Centre Kenya rehearse backstage before performing on Dec 6. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP
"I'd never heard of this ballet before I performed it," said Bravian with a smile. But that, in no way, diminishes his determination. "I love dancing; I dance because it's magnificent," he said, just before he took to the stage.
Dance Centre Kenya staged a special 10th-anniversary edition of The Nutcracker in December, marking a decade of the production's annual run.
The ballet became a holiday-season fixture in Nairobi, offering a Kenyan interpretation of the classic. Each year's cast brings together dancers from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, reflecting the school's mission to make the arts accessible to all. Dance Centre Kenya currently trains about 500 students, including 50 scholarship recipients from low-income neighborhoods.
Members of Dance Centre Kenya perform ballet at the Kenya National Theatre on Dec 6. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP
"We want to show the world that you don't have to fit a certain mould to be a ballet dancer," said Cooper Rust, artistic director of Dance Centre Kenya as well as The Nutcracker ballet staged in Nairobi. She herself is a former professional ballerina. "It's about passion, talent and working hard at your dreams — not about coming from a certain economic background or being in certain shape," she said.
More than 175 dancers from 25 countries took part in this year's production, with performers ranging from teenagers in principal roles to a three-year-old cast as the fairy doll.
Members of Dance Centre Kenya perform in their 10th-anniversary annual ballet production, The Nutcracker, at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi on Dec 6. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP
"It's much harder for children from disadvantaged backgrounds; they have to work harder to succeed," she said. "I'm so proud of him. He'll succeed."
Bravian, meanwhile, does his daily exercises in a small, stuffy living room, undisturbed by the music emanating from a nearby bar. Despite the difficulties, he vows: "One day, I'll be a professional dancer."
Agencies contributed to this story.
Members of Dance Centre Kenya perform ballet at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi on Dec 6. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP
Peers encourage dancers on stage from the back stage at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi on Dec 6. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP
Dancers adjust the decorations made from dance shoes on a Christmas tree before performing on Dec 6. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP
