1946 – Les Ballet Nègres established

Berto Pasuka arrived in Britain from his native Jamaica in the early years of World War Two. Pasuka studied ballet with Anna Severskaya and Mme Verushka, touring Britain in various shows. He visualised the formation of a ballet company made up of Black dancers, and in 1946 formed the Ballets Nègres with dancers who appeared in Thorold Dickinson’s film Men of Two Worlds. The company’s first performance took place at the Twentieth Century Theatre, London, with a subsequent season at the Playhouse Theatre, and a tour of Britain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland. Pasuka was principal choreographer, employing Roy Hobdell as designer and Leonard Salzedo as composer for the company’s original work. The venture closed in 1952.