by
Elle D.
“Slum Ballet,” an ongoing photo series by Fredik Lerneryd, is incredibly captivating and inspiring. It follows the journey of Kenyan children learning ballet in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums. The weekly class is part of a charity initiative from One Fine Day, part of Anno’s Africa.
Children gather excitedly in a small room to learn dance technique, placing one hand on a concrete wall as if it is a ballet barre.
Mike Wamaya, a former professional dancer, teaches the class.
Before class, the children sweep the floor, ensuring they do not step on pebbles or slip on dirt.
They mainly practice barefoot, but also have ballet shoes to advance their technique, keeping them safely stored away until needed.
When the students practice their routines, people often observe from the street.
One Fine Day has been offering weekly classes to the children of Kibera and Mathare slums since 2007. In addition to ballet, they can learn other types of dance, acrobatics, art, creative writing & Storytelling, music, and drama.
For more information about the charity, visit https://www.onefineday.org/. More of Fredrik’s work is also featured on his site.
